Outlaw Star : Outskirts
by CielCadet
Summary: This story takes place approximately two years after the end of Outlaw Star and solely revolves around Harry, Ron, and other original characters. Harry is essentially given a second chance at life and is thrown into his brother Ron's agenda to restart his life, alongside of another bioandroid in search for his own self-worth. Rated T for language.
1. Prelude

This story takes place approximately two years after the end of Outlaw Star and solely revolves around Harry, Ron, and other original characters. This story can be categorized under the genres of drama and adventure. It has been eight years since I wrote any kind of fiction, but I am hoping that all of you will find my story interesting and thought provoking. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

_What is existence? Are we defined by others? Are we like the wind, where we only know it exists if the trees blow? If we feel it on our face? Is the wind aware of its journey? We will never know. However, man is afraid of awareness; especially in his last moments of what we define as life. It is only fear that allows us to do what we do every day. Most of us don't want to be aware. Most of us don't want to believe. But there are the few that seek this enlightenment with all of their life…_

_But what about a computer? Harry MacDougall: Is he no more than an infinite loop of information; or is he a man trapped inside of a ship? What if man is to defy what existence is and create it himself, from that which we thought was once destroyed? Can a ghost be given a second chance?_


	2. Episode 1

Episode 1: A Familiar, Pained Face

The room was bright with yellow tinted lights. A naked man was lying on a silver table next to blood stained medical tools of all kinds on a tray. The man was of fair complexion with a slender build and strong looking arms. He had long, wavy azure hair, which was sprawled out across the table under his head. Stuck to his forehead were three strips of thin plastic, attached to wires, which were connected to a large, complex looking computer behind him. Thick lashed eyes were closed. Harry MacDougall looked as if he was sleeping. A rugged looking man with a long scar down his lips looked down at Harry's body. He had a slight tan and was quite tall compared to most Terrans. He had jet black curly hair, pulled back into a frizzy ponytail. He looked over, with a pair of piercing golden eyes, at an older man in a blood stained white lab coat with a sinister grin. The tall man was dressed in a maroon trench coat with three large belts holding it closed. Under it, he wore a black v-neck shirt and navy pants, accompanied by large, ivory boots. Other than the three piercings on both ears, he wore a necklace with a microchip encased in a glass locket. Ron McDougall stood proud. Suddenly, Harry took a deep breath, his chest rising. Ron smiled, his scar rising with his lips. The older man turned to Ron.

"Is he to your liking?" The older man said in a scratchy voice.

"Couldn't have imagined him any other way." Ron answered. "Harry, wake up. I saw you breathe."

Harry's eyes snapped open to reveal a pair of startled, indigo eyes. They shifted to look over at Ron. Harry sat up, the pads on his forehead disconnecting from the machine behind him. He looked up at Ron with eyes wide.

"Ron? I recognize your voice." Harry said as he studied Ron's face.

"Very good, Harry. You know my name?" Ron asked, wanting to know just as to how much he really knew about him. Harry's brows furrowed.

"Of course I do!" He snapped. "Though I don't know why…" He added. Ron looked at him, with an eyebrow raised. The older man then cleared his throat.

"So, payment?" The older man asked, sounding a bit impatient. Ron let out a small chuckle.

"Of course. We can talk details, but not in front of my brother." Ron responded. He put his large hand on the older man's back and left the room. Seconds passed and suddenly, there was a loud crack of a gunshot. Harry jumped. What was that? Ron then returned to the room, his footsteps almost echoing in the empty room. Harry looked at him, his face expressionless. He didn't know what had happened. Ron let out another chuckle.

"Sorry for the noise, Harry. We can get going now." Ron said as he went over to a table and picked up a pile of clothing. Harry hadn't noticed it until now. Ron dropped it in his lap and exhaled.

"Get dressed."

"Right now?" Harry asked, as if he was waiting for the older man to return.

"Yes." Ron answered. Harry set the pile of clothes aside and scooted off of the table. He started with the shirt. It was a long sleeved t-shirt with black and white stripes. He pulled it over his head when Ron began to speak.

"Can you believe I remembered what size you were? But don't go complainin' about what I picked out." Ron put his hands on his hips. Harry looked over at Ron for a moment and then resumed dressing. He then picked up a pair of black leather pants. Harry, a bit unfamiliar with the texture, looked over at Ron with critical eyes. Ron simply smiled and shrugged. Harry stepped into the pants and yanked them on, inch by inch. The rest was easy. He put on a pair of plain, white socks and a pair of navy boots. The last thing to put on was a sleeveless, light denim vest. He felt the fabric with his thumbs and smiled. He slipped it on and then turned to Ron, placing his hands on his hips to almost mock him.

"How do I look?" Harry asked. Ron smiled.

"Like you." Ron then reached into a thin pocket on his jacket and took out a purple ribbon. He held it out and Harry caught it when he decided to drop it into his hands. Without saying a word, he tied his hair back into a loose ponytail. Ron's smile grew. "So you do remember…" Ron said quietly. Harry frowned. Why had he done that automatically? He decided not to think about it too much. They had to go, right?

Ron led him out of the room into a dark hallway. Harry followed closely behind, a tad nervous, when the tip of his boot hit something. He looked down to see nothing but the outline of a pair of shoes. Harry was about to bend down to get a closer look when Ron took him by the wrist and yanked him up. Harry looked at him, looking alarmed. Why had he been so rough with him? Ron was frowning out of frustration.

"It's time to go, Harry." Ron said firmly. Harry nodded silently and Ron released his arm. He then continued to follow him up a small flight of concrete stairs. Ron opened a door that squealed, and instantly, there was a rush of noise. Harry stopped on the last step and covered his ears. Ron stepped outside and Harry slowly dropped his hands as his ears adjusted to the noise. He followed him and looked around, seeing that he was on a busy street under the stars of Sentinel III. Ron then approached a navy blue cruiser, which seemed to be parked right before them. Harry, curious, turned around too look up at the building that they came out of. It was a flower shop, bright with all kinds of colorful plants from foreign planets. Harry wouldn't know that, of course. He just wondered why they were in the basement of a flower shop—Starfish Flower Shop. Ron saw Harry with his back to him and sighed.

"Taking it all in, huh?" Ron said. Harry immediately turned to him. "Let's go." He said, walking around the front of the cruiser to get in. Harry, without thinking about it, opened the door and got in.

Ron drove down streets full of Terrans who were just beginning their evenings. Harry tried to take in everything as they left Locust city. The streets grew darker and darker and things began to blur. Ron sped up and Harry's hair began to blow wildly in the wind. Ron laughed.

"This thing can go pretty fast, don't ya think?" He said loudly. Harry said nothing, feeling almost lonely now that the city was a bunch of bars of lights behind them. Ron wondered why he hadn't said anything and continued to drive to his place in silence.

Ron pulled up to his home, which was a common, brown farmhouse and a large barn among a vast field of wheat. He hopped out of the cruiser and led Harry inside. It was dark until Ron pushed a button to his right to turn on the lights above. Ron was about to turn to face Harry and welcome him to his humble abode, when he heard Harry's stomach growl. Harry's eyes widened as they jumped down to look at his stomach. Ron chuckled.

"Someone's hungry. Guess that makes sense." Ron replied.

Soon, Harry and Ron were sitting at a table together, each with a plate of a pile of rice mixed with cooked egg and green onion. Harry stared down at it in silence.

"Sorry. I'm no chef. Well, actually, I sort of am?" Ron said jokingly. "You see, a lot has happened since you were…" He paused. "I'm not sure how to say this…" He continued to think. "Since you were away."

"Away?" Harry looked up at him, looking a tad confused. Ron held up the locket to show off the microchip inside, it twinkling in the dim light of his kitchen.

"When you were in here." Ron grinned. Harry stared at him, looking even more confused. Ron shook his head. "Well, this is going to be hard to explain… You do at least know that you're a bio android, correct?"

"Of course I do! I'm not like others!" Harry cried. Harry wondered why he had snapped at him for the second time today.

"Yes. Well, for a couple of years, you lived in here—this chip." Ron began to explain. Harry's eyes widened. "You didn't always live like this. In fact, you looked exactly like you do right now. However, your body was destroyed." Harry's eyes fell. "But you had made a copy of your mind to the Shangri La and into this little chip here. Does that make sense to you?" Ron asked in a softer tone. Harry nodded slowly as he took it in. "You don't look like you do. Don't you remember all of those space races we've been in these past two years?" Harry looked back across the table at Ron and shook his head. Ron looked shocked. "You don't remember?! That damn doctor! That machine must have corrupted the data!" Ron grinded his teeth and slammed his fist down onto the table. When he realized that a little rice had gotten onto the table, he sighed. "Well, anyway, I got this job at a Kei Pirate-owned restaurant here in Locust City. As you will soon learn, I'm not the greatest cook, but that's how I partially afforded the repairs on the Shangri La whenever we came back from a race." Harry took a bit, immediately making a face.

"Too many onions…" Harry commented. Ron looked annoyed.

"I told you I'm no chef!" Ron shouted. Just at that moment, Harry began to laugh. Ron smiled at this. He didn't expect to hear him laugh—at least not until he became more acquainted with the world. However, it wasn't like the laughter he once knew. Ron laughed too.

Still quite hungry, Harry ate as Ron went on about how he hated cooking for the Kei Pirates. Midway through the meal, he suddenly realized something.

"Harry! Maybe I can trigger some memories if I take you to the Shangri La! Not that I wasn't planning on taking you to the ship anyway…" He got up from the table. Harry didn't want to leave his meal behind, but he wanted to make Ron happy.

Ron and Harry went out to the large barn by the house, which was more like a hangar for his ships—there were two. Ron turned on the lights and soon, the Shangri La was in view. Harry gazed at it, eyes thinning. Ron stood there, waiting for him to say something. A moment or so passed and Harry turned to Ron.

"Nothing." Harry stated.

"Nothing?! What do you mean, 'nothing?!'" Ron cried. He looked disappointed, his shoulders lowering. "Just nothing…"

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps approaching them on the dirt. Harry suddenly turned towards them, in a defensive pose.

"Who's there?" Harry said in a hostile tone. Ron was surprised that he reacted this way. He then smiled.

"I forgot. I would like you to meet someone, Harry." Ron said calmly. Out from under the shadow of the Shangri La came another young man, looking about nineteen or so. He was about 5'6" and had a small frame. He was fairly pale, which contrasted against his long, unruly dark grey hair. He had large, fallow brown eyes and a small mouth. He looked over at Harry, looking confused.

"Harry. Meet Lark. He's like you." Ron said with a smile. Suddenly, Harry crouched down, holding his head in pain. His thoughts were racing like a scherzo.

"Harry?..." Ron looked down at him with concern.


	3. Episode 2

Episode 2: The Prize is Aurum

Harry suddenly stood up and grabbed Lark by the neck with both hands. He began to press his thumbs into his throat. Lark immediately tried to tear his arms away as his face flushed.

"Why don't you love me?!" Harry cried. Ron gasped and put his hands on Harry's shoulders, trying to pull him away from him.

"Harry! Get ahold of yourself!" Ron shouted. Almost instantly, Harry realized what he had done and released Lark. Lark coughed as Harry panted. "Harry! What's gotten into you?! Why the hell did you do that?!" He shouted again. Harry didn't answer right away; he was too busy trying to catch his breath.

"I don't know…" Harry whispered. Lark looked at him, looking startled. Ron sighed as he came to a realization.

"I didn't have any idea he would be some kind of reminder…" Ron trailed off. Lark looked over at Ron now, looking for answers. Ron made eye contact with him and shook his head as if he had nothing more to say, when in fact, he didn't want to say any more. Ron had failed to realize that Lark resembled Melfina, a name and face he was hoping would never come up again. Though they had both wanted to kidnap Melfina, Harry had developed an unhealthy attachment to her, further complicating things. It wasn't that Ron wasn't used to Harry's unstable mental state—he just never thought it would distract him from their mission like the way it had. Harry, in the end, proved that he could rise above his obsession, but it all ended in tragedy; this was also something he wanted to forget. He wanted to remember the Harry he knew two years ago that was logged in the Shangri La.

"How did you meet Lark?" Harry asked as if he wasn't there. Lark decided to wander around in the barn to get some space away from Harry.

"I found him." Ron answered.

"Where?"

"Well, here's the story. Remember how I told you about the restaurant I worked at was basically owned by Kei pirates? Well, one day, as I was takin' out the trash, I saw a pair of Kei pirates dump a large suitcase by the dumpsters. I heard them talkin', one of 'em sayin' 'It's defective, so just leave it there.' That wasn't the case though, but I'll get back to that. So, of course I got curious. It was the end of my shift, so I was able to screw around a bit. I opened the suitcase—it wasn't easy—and inside was Lark. Naked and everything. I was wondering why the hell the pirates would lock someone up in a suitcase like they were dirty money. Anyway, I closed the case, lugged the thing to my cruiser, and took him home. When I got home, he woke up and told me that he used to be a navigational system for a pirate ship called the 'Sedai.' Of course, I became very familiar with the Sedai not too long before Lark and I met. I've gotta tell you that story, Harry." Ron looked a bit excited now. "It was two years ago when you lived in the Shangri La." Ron smiled, instantly feeling a rush of nostalgia. He figured that telling Harry the story would help calm him down, and yet, prepare him for what Ron really wanted to tell him…

Ron looked up at the green skies of the planet Crone. It was a bit of a trip to the Rynex system, but he was glad that it was a small system between the Heifong System and Sentinel System, with most of its planets on the outer orbit of its small yellow sun. The planet was nothing but a large city full of skyscrapers powered by solar panels. The highways seemed endless and there was plenty of air traffic. It was home to the busy Cronians and many other aliens who could afford to live on an upper scale planet. Ron was in a district of the planet known as the Garden District, where the richest of Cronians lived. He was at ceremony for what was known as the "Annual Rynex Space System Race." The race took place between the two planets: Crone and the capital planet of Rynex.

Ron was in front of a small stage where a famous Cronian and his guards stood. The Cronians were an interesting race, resembling what Terrans called "mantids." They were bipedal, but they had the faces and arms of mantids. Among him were many different peoples, including Chinese space pirates and outlaws from all three systems. The famous Cronian introduced himself. He was white and fuchsia, with large brown eyes. He was dressed in a navy British cut suit and black loafers. He was definitely an older Cronian, as his voice crackled a bit.

"Greetings, fellow competitors! If you don't already know, my name is Russell Periwinkle and I am the host of the Annual Rynex Space System Race! And if you are here, you have RSVP'd for my little event! It is a pleasure to meet all of you! As you all know, the race is between Crone and our sister planet and capital Rynex! This is the 40th anniversary and I am so proud to have such a colorful group of peoples competing in my race!" Ron snickered as he looked around him for a moment. "Anyway, the race begins tomorrow, so please feel free to enjoy any of my luxury hotels! And one last thing to remember: I will not reveal the prize until the end of the race! So, don't get disappointed! You get what you get, so don't get upset!" He chuckled like an old man as he crossed his long, scythe-like arms. The crowd cheered and soon disbanded, going in all kinds of directions.

Instead of going to a hotel, Ron went back to the Shangri La.

"Welcome back, brother. So, tell me all about it!" Harry answered, lights on the keyboard blinking on and off.

"Well, it's true what they say. That Periwinkle is certainly a rich man who likes to play games. I suppose that's what you do when you're rich." Ron replied.

"That doesn't answer any of my questions, Ron."

"Alright, alright. It's hard to describe what he looks like. Why don't you tap into the database and look it up, huh?"

"Fine." Harry said in a slightly annoyed voice. He went silent for a bit and Ron sat down, crossing his legs. He waited when Harry suddenly spoke up. "He looks nothing like a Terran… Why are their eyes so big?"

"Hell if I know, Harry."

"I want to hear it from you. Why are we doing this again?"

"I thought you liked going fast." Ron snickered.

"I mean it."

"Well, we're trying to win that prize... though I wouldn't know what it is…"

"What do you mean? He didn't tell you?" Harry sounded frustrated. Ron laughed.

"He does this every year. All I know is he's very rich and he's a ship collector. So whatever he's 'donating' must be good. Why else would twenty ships show up?"

"Twenty? That's a lot…"

"Yeah, but I only saw a few of 'em. They don't look so tough!" Ron exclaimed. Harry laughed cockily.

"Nothing's faster than me!" Harry cried, the lights on the keyboard glowing bright.

"You know it, Harry." Ron laughed...

That evening, Ron was sleeping in the back of the ship when he heard a noise. He woke up to a dim room and looked around. He then heard the noise again, detecting that it was coming from the main door. Ron's eyes thinned as he got up. He then whispered.

"Harry. Wake up." The lights in the ship grew a little brighter.

"What is it, Ron?"

"I heard something…" Ron's eyes darted from the left to the right.

"It was probably me…" Harry replied.

"No. It was a… a bang?" Ron walked over to his coat and pulled out a gun. Suddenly, there was another bang. Ron approached the door with caution. He was about to unlock it when an alarm went off. Harry let out a scream.

"Someone is messing with me! Ron? Ron?! I can't see you!" Harry cried. Ron growled and opened the door to see some tall man on the side of the ship. He was pointing at a small hole he had made with a wire coming out of his finger.

"You're asking for it." Ron said with his teeth as he pointed his gun. He took a shot, the bullet bouncing off of the ship. The tall man jolted and withdrew the wire from his finger. He turned to look at Ron. He had long arms like an orangutan. His face was a Chinese yellow and red monkey mask with a wild gaze. Ron didn't ask any questions and just began shooting, but the man just dodged the bullets, flipped back, and escaped into the darkness of the night. Ron's arm slowly lowered. "I don't have time for this." He muttered.

Ron returned to the ship.

"Ron! I can see you again!" Harry cried. "What was that? I saw some… some kind of mask!"

"So did I. Some bio android was out there, trying to hack into you."

"What?! How dare they!" The lights on the ship got really bright, one of the bulbs above popping. Ron sighed.

"Calm down, Harry. Just run an analysis or somethin'." Ron set his gun down and looked for another bulb in a closet. Harry grew quiet as Ron installed another light. He suddenly spoke up.

"He was looking for coordinates. He stole some coordinates in the Sentinel system. He didn't get much though—just coordinates for Sentinel III."

"His mask was Chinese. I think I saw him at the opening ceremonies. A buncha guys had masks that looked like that. But what the hell would he want with coordinates?" Ron sat down, trying to think.

"I don't know…"

The race was about to begin. Among eighteen ships there were a couple that Ron had picked out that might rival his: The Orchid, piloted by Russell's best; The Cinis, piloted by the Sharnese; the Theama, piloted by the Octnua; and the Sedai, piloted by the Watao pirates, the Rynex System's Chinese pirates. Ron was specifically frustrated with the entry of the Sedai; he was sure that the Chinese pirate that was hacking into his ship last night was aboard.

"So, are you ready, Harry?!" Ron said as Harry ran a last minute diagnostic.

"You know it, Ron."

"We're gunna beat the crap out of the Sedai!" Ron exclaimed. Soon, a transmission came through. It was Russell Perwinkle.

"Greetings, everyone! The race is about to commence! Are you ready? As you know, my best pilots will be competing against you in my lovely ship, the Orchid! Are you afraid of losing? The only thing I must ask of all of you is to remember that this is a clean race! That's what keeps our race so great! Do your best!" Russell said, letting out a chortle. The transmission ended. Ron chuckled.

"See what I mean? That old Cronian likes to play games for sure!" Ron sat forward.

"I understand now…" Harry replied.

Suddenly, a transmission of a countdown began from 15. Harry grinned, grinding his teeth. The Shangri La revved once.

3\. 2. 1. GO!

The Shangri La shot ahead, cutting through space like a needle. As expected, the four ships Ron had suspicions about were not too far behind.

"They can't even catch up, Harry!"

"Duh!" Harry laughed…

The Shangri La was making its turn before Rynex when the Sedai got dangerously close.

"Tryin' to cut me off now, huh?!" Ron shouted. Ron navigated the Shangri La out of the way until the Sedai was behind them. "Knew they were going to be trouble…"

They were on their way back to Crone when suddenly, the Sedai sped up to fly above them.

"Ron! They're right on top of me!" Harry cried.

"What the hell are they doing?" Ron growled. Suddenly, arms began to emerge from the Sedai; four arms, in fact. Harry gave a visual and Ron's eyes grew wide. The arms reached forward, trying to grab the Shangri La. Harry slowed down so they could miss. "I knew they would be trouble."

"I'm engaging in combat, Ron."

"You got the right idea, Harry." Ron grabbed two throttles and four arms emerged from the Shangri La. The Sedai slowed down and used its thrusters to turn itself vertical and began to swing its arms at the Shangri La. The Shangri La turned itself vertical as well and its hands moved to grab the wrists of the Sedai. The Sedai struggled to get its arms free, but Shangri La tugged and tugged back by pushing its thrusters away. "Push it!" Ron cried. And suddenly, the Shangri La pulled the arms of the Sedai out of their sockets.

"Easy win!" Harry cried. The Sedai was thrown off balance and the Shangri La turned and headed back towards Crone. The Sedai drifted quietly towards Rynex…

Soon, there came the awards ceremony. The Sedai and its pilots had been disqualified while the Shangri La was celebrated for not only winning the race, but for defending itself in a "dignified manner." Russell then revealed the prize: An antique ship known as the Aurum. The crowd expressed their disappointment with silence. Everyone had expected something like Dragonite. They soon dispersed to leave Crone. Ron was a little frustrated because he now owned another ship and basically had to have it lugged to Sentinel III. It would rust in his hanger, he thought. Before Ron left, Russell pulled him aside.

"There is one thing I must tell you, MacDougall: 'If the maiden is lost, then the knights will come.' A very wise man told me this. His name was Gwen Khan. Not sure if you heard of him, but I felt the need to tell you because he said it had something to do with this ship." Russell whispered. Ron wondered what he could be talking about.

"Whatever." Ron simply replied. He was still disappointed. He made a shallow bow and returned to the Shangri La.

"So, what was the prize, Ron?" Harry asked.

"A ship. An 'antique.'" Ron replied in a somber tone.

"You're not going to replace me, right Ron?"

"What do you think?" Ron sat back. Harry laughed…

"So that's what happened two years ago, Harry. This thing has been sittin' here since. But I've gotta tell you something. This ship is one of the many reasons why I had to get you out of the Shangri La. You see, this ship needs one pilot… and two brains." Ron said, smirking.

"'Two brains?' What do you mean?" Harry looked over at the Aurum. The ship was a yellow gold, similar to Shangri La, with white stripes. It was shaped like a Mockingbird in flight, for it had almost wing-like fins.

"Yes. Two brains—like you and Lark. And Harry, even though I know you've just been becomin' acquainted with the world, the truth is… I want to explore space again. And as much as I love the Shangri La, I've already had everything in the archives transferred over to the Aurum. You see… there's something very special about this ship and I want to see what it can do. So, what do you think?" Ron put his hands on his hips. Harry smiled.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun!" Harry answered. Suddenly, Lark was running towards them from the back of the ship. Behind him was a man chasing him, wearing a yellow and red Chinese monkey mask. Ron's eyes widened.

"Help!" Lark cried. Ron pulled out his gun.


	4. Episode 3

Episode 3: Towards the Stars

Lark ran as fast as he could until he stumbled into Harry's arms, which caught him just in time. The man with the mask stopped and kept his distance from the three of them, scratching his head like a flea-bitten monkey. Ron gritted his teeth together and kept his trigger finger ready.

"Don't think I forgot your face. Must have been a real trip to get here." Ron said in a threatening tone. The man snickered.

"Huo didn't forget! Revenge runs in the blood of every pirate!" The man exclaimed.

"And tell me: What do you think is stopping me from putting a bullet right in your head?" Ron aimed his gun and shot it, but Huo backflipped out of the way. Ron then turned to Harry and Lark and said in a firm tone, "Get in the Aurum. We're leaving." Harry looked at Ron, looking a little shocked. Everything was happening so quickly. One moment, he was naked in the basement of a flower shop; the next, he was being told that they were leaving the planet. He was sure Ron would help him catch up later; especially since Harry had no idea as to why Ron kept on taking out this little machine that made loud crackling bangs…

Ron resumed shooting and Harry took Lark by the wrist, roughly pulling him along. They climbed some wooden steps up to the main door of the ship and stopped suddenly.

"Oh, now what? Ron, you idiot! The ship's locked!" Harry cried over the gunshots. Lark then slid a compartment by the door open, revealing a keypad and a slot. Lark shot a wire from his finger into the slot and in seconds, the door opened. Harry looked at him, suddenly remembering that he should be able to do the same. The wire retracted and they both ran inside. Lark closed the door behind them and the lights automatically turned on…

Ron was running through the barn around the ships, kicking up dirt as he tried to shoot Huo. He hit him in his left shoulder, and though it slowed him down a bit, it made him go wild. Huo rushed at Ron, and stamped his hands into the ground, swinging his body up to try to kick Ron. Ron hopped back with each kick, making Huo's attempts to attack him head-on futile. When Ron got enough distance, he pointed his gun and shot Huo in the left arm again. He let out a pained war cry and rushed at him again with a limp. Ron continued to shoot at him, hoping to hit him somewhere far more vital…

Meanwhile, Lark lead him to the front of the ship. Lark rushed over to the control panels and began to hit keys like his fingers were on fire. Just then, two holes opened up behind Harry. He jolted forward and looked back.

"What the?!" Harry said instinctively. Lark ran past him and jumped down into one of the holes, it sealing up right after him. Harry's eyes widened. "Lark! What?!" He cried, looking bewildered. Harry put his ear to the seal, hoping he could hear Lark, however, in a matter of seconds he was pushed back onto his behind as a large container rose up. Metal shutters around it suddenly rolled up and revealed a naked Lark, his hair flowing gently inside. Harry flushed a bit, completely caught off guard. Lark's voice then came through the ship's speakers.

"Harry!" Lark said without moving his lips. Harry got to his feet and looked down into the other hole, reasonably hesitant. He then let out a sigh and jumped down into the hole…

At first there was a silent darkness. Harry looked around blindly, frantically hoping he could see something, when suddenly, he heard a rush of what sounded like water. Before he could fully register what that noise was, he was surrounded by some kind of fluid. He gasped for air, thinking he was going to drown, but he just felt like he was taking a deep breath…

Seconds passed and soon, like Lark, Harry was in a container next to him, naked and surrounded by some fluid. Harry turned to him and spoke, but his lips also did not move.

"This is… somehow so familiar…" Harry whispered. Suddenly, the door opened and Ron ran inside.

"Let's go!" He said, plopping down into the pilot's chair. He began pushing buttons and two throttles rose. He then gripped the throttles and began to push them forward to suddenly discover that they were locked. He looked back at Harry and Lark. "It's locked! Harry, you gotta concentrate!"

"I can't! I see a mask!" Harry said, tossing his head from left to right. Lark did the same.

"A what?!"

…In the digital world, Harry was all blue, while Lark was all white. They were floating by a bright light when a black mass with the yellow and red Chinese monkey mask rushed at them. They both landed on some invisible, glass surface and began to run. Harry took Lark by the wrist.

"What are we going to do?!" Harry shouted.

"I-I don't know!" Lark stuttered nervously. Harry grew frustrated with Lark's tone. He then threw Lark forward, who nearly fell, and Harry turned himself to do a roundhouse kick into the black mass. The black mass moved back, Harry's kick missing. Harry resumed spinning himself, kicking at each opportunity, but the black mass continued to dodge his attempts…

Ron opened the door to the ship to see Huo hacking into the ship, frozen in place. Ron put the mouth of the gun up to his head and smirked.

"Bang." Ron said, shooting Huo straight through the head. The mask cracked and his head hung…

Suddenly, the masked black mass disappeared and Harry looked around, searching the plane for him. Lark suddenly clung to Harry from behind. Harry turned himself around to see Lark's head buried in him.

"I'm sorry…" Lark said, his voice muffled. Harry frowned. He was about to place a hand on his cheek when their consciousness returned and they were both gazing at Ron in the pilot's chair again.

"Is everything alright? I think I took care of the problem." Ron said, smiling. Lark nodded. Ron then pulled the throttles and the ship began to move out of the barn. "Goodbye, Shangri La." Ron said softly. The ship went across wheat fields towards a launching sight…

Soon, the Aurum was in position. The three of them were quiet until Ron spoke up.

"So, Lark, did you know that guy?"

"Yes. I was his navigation system. As well as the other Watao pirates…" Lark replied.

"Great. So, now we got some pirates after us." Ron said with a sigh. "Well, I guess my last-minute decision is justified."

"Ron, I don't understand anything!" Harry shouted. Ron sighed again.

"Harry, when we're in space, I'll try my damned best to fill you in… okay?" Ron snapped

"Okay, Ron…" Harry answered quietly, his frustration melting away into anxiety. How was he going to help launch this ship into space? No explanation; just do it. Lark looked over at Harry, looking concerned.

In the digital world, Harry and Lark were just floating together. Lark gently took Harry's hand.

"We'll go to space together." Lark said in a soothing tone. Harry smiled. Maybe it wasn't that hard after all.

"I'll be doing most of the work here, Harry, so just concentrate, okay?" Ron said as the main engine started up. They all waited in silence as the engine grew louder. Ron then licked his lips, dry with anticipation, and pulled the thrusters back. "HERE WE GO!" Ron cried and suddenly, the thrusters of the Aurum rumbled and propelled the ship into the sky. The wings of the ship condensed until they were higher into the atmosphere. Both Lark's and Harry's eyes were closed as they focused on sending the ship to space. In the digital world, Harry and Lark were still holding hands. Soon, the skies of Sentinel III faded into the dusty black of space…

Meanwhile, another man was in Ron's barn, standing by Huo's lifeless corpse under the Shangri La. He had a beak-like nose and dark eyes. He had a pale complexion and had short, mousy brown hair. A wire came out of his finger and shot into a small hole he had made in the side of the ship. He withdrew the wire and sighed. He then put his finger to his ear. The man spoke in a squeaky voice.

"Shu reporting! Captain! Huo is d-dead. G-gunshot to the head. And the ship… is completely useless. The whole entire ship's p-programming has been wiped. No coordinates." He looked down at Huo's cracked mask…

"Lark. Take us to Pewter VI." Ron commanded.

"Yes, sir." Lark answered. "Harry, do you see the coordinates?"

"Yes, I do!" Harry replied, sounding a little annoyed.

"Get along, you two." Ron said with a small chuckle. "You'll both be working together quite closely."

"I get it…" Harry said. Lark turned to Harry and smiled.

"Let's go to space together." Lark repeated. Harry then looked over at Lark. Lark was staring at him. Harry jolted his head back to look away from him, a bit embarrassed that he got caught his gaze.

"So, Ron… there's a lot I want to ask you… Like… Well, I know I'm not like others, but… what are Lark and I?" Harry's eyes fell. Ron was silent for a moment.

"Harry, like Lark, you're a bio android. A very special one. You not only can function like a Terran, but you're also a navigational system for ships like the Dorado, Shangri La, and Aurum. That's why you and Lark connected to it in a way I don't understand. Right now, we're heading to the Rynex System. It's a small place with only a couple of planets. I was thinking we could get some fuel at Pewter VI. This ship needs a special kind of fuel and that place has all kinds of stuff. Lark, tell Harry about it." Ron sat back in his seat.

"Well, I've never been on another planet

before, but Pewter VI is a slow moving asteroid that not only hosts a giant garage for ships, but a giant contained city full of markets, bars, every species in the three systems, and—"

"Secrets." Ron interrupted.

"Every place has its secrets. Ron, now that we're being pursued by pirates, are you thinking you're going to be looking for some more secrets?" Harry asked, quirking a brow.

"Well, definitely now. Lark was deemed as defective, so why would these pirates want him back? I'm sure there is some kind of word on the streets of Pewter VI somewhere about it. Secrets never stay secrets among pirates." Ron replied. There was a brief moment of silence. Suddenly, Harry asked,

"Ron, I've been meaning to ask you, but… what is a pirate?" Ron practically fell over in his seat.

"This entire time I've been talking to you about pirates and you haven't asked until now?!" Ron yelled.

"You just kept on going! What was I supposed to do?! Kei-pirates-this, Watao-pirates that!" Harry shouted back.

"God, Harry… Alright… It's a bit of a trip so I might as well tell you about the Chinese space pirates." Ron exhaled…

Soon, the Aurum had opened its wings wide and it was approaching the asteroid belt that surrounded the Rynex System. Harry, detecting the traffic, immediately condensed the wings. After explaining his encounters with the pirates, Ron had taken a nap, only to wake up to Lark's voice.

"Ron. We're approaching the Rynex Asteroid Belt. Would you like to manually maneuver the Aurum?"

"You always sound so formal, Lark. Go on autopilot. I'm still tired." Ron replied.

"Yes, sir." Lark answered. Harry looked over at Lark and smirked.

"Let me handle this, Lark!" Harry said in a cocky tone. Lark nodded, smiling at him. The ship spun around, dodging each asteroid with ease.

"You're really showing off, Harry." Ron said with a smirk. Harry laughed. Suddenly, a sharp asteroid cut across the left wing of the Aurum, tearing some of the metal. The ship tilted a bit and Ron immediately seized control of the ship. Harry and Ron both cursed.

"Lark! Damage report!"

"Tear on the left wing." Lark replied, sounding a bit alarmed.

"No wonder why there is a tilt." Ron said under his breath. Harry looked a little embarrassed.

"But Pewter VI is ahead." Lark continued.

"Great. The first thing we're going to need is a mechanic. God knows if we're actually going to find one that isn't up to his ass in jobs." Ron complained. Harry remained quiet. In the digital world, Lark silently took Harry's hand again. However, Harry pulled his hand away and smacked it. Lark's eyes fell as his mood sunk…

The Aurum had managed to make its way into an empty port on the asteroid and docked. Ron, Harry, and Lark got out of the ship. A Corbonite in a short, robotic suit resembling a raccoon with sneakers walked up to them. Harry held back a laugh.

"You laughin', punk?" The Corbonite pointed at Harry, sounding annoyed. Ron waved his hands dismissively.

"Forgive my brother's manners. My name is Ron MacDougall. You received my comm, right?"

"Yep. And you're lucky today—I like the ship you brought in. It's my favorite color." The Corbonite replied. He then held out his hand to Ron. "The name's Weilo. What can I do for ya today?" Ron bent down to shake the little guy's cartoony hand. Ron then pointed behind him.

"Wing is damaged. Should be simple enough." Ron replied. Weilo walked up to the ship and knocked on it twice. The three of them looked at him in silence, looking confused.

"Nope. Can't do it."

"What the hell?! You bang on it and tell me you can't do it?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"It's an antique. I don't have any experience with this sorta stuff… However, I think I know someone who can help you." Weilo replied, pulling out a little pink cell phone. Harry held back another laugh. "Watch it, kid." Weilo said, pointing at Harry again.

Minutes passed, and soon, a tall Octnua arrived. He had the face of what the Terrans referred to as a barn owl. He had a white face with brown feathers and red eyes like two beads.

"Meet my assistant, Harper! He's all about antiques!" Weilo said, putting his hands on his sides. Harper stepped forward. He looked at the ship, silent. Lark was a bit intimidated. However, the mood of the scene completely changed in seconds.

"Wow! How did you get this?! Oh! Working on this baby is going to be an absolute delight!" he said excitedly, in a deep voice with a Cronian accent.

"I won it two years ago from some guy named Russell Periwinkle." Ron answered, smiling now.

"THE Russell Perwinkle?! The ship collector?! Now I understand—" Suddenly, he realized what kind of scene he just made and cleared his throat, speaking in a serious voice. "I can do it."

"Good. We'll talk payment later." Ron then turned to Harry and Lark. "Harry, Lark. It's probably gunna be a while, so why don't you go shopping or something?"

"'Shopping?' For what, Ron?" Harry asked, pouting a bit. Ron shrugged, smiling.

"You got a whole city to explore."


	5. Episode 4

Thanks to one of my best friends, who knows how to write romance better than I ever could, I was able to finish this chapter.

Episode 4: A Day with Harry

A brown ship exited Sentinel III's orbit. A group of five men were standing in a circle in the interior of the ship. They were completely surrounded by black glass, a map of the Sentinel System displayed across the dome shaped ceiling. One of the men was Shu. There was another man, fair and wearing a blindfold over his eyes. He dressed in traditional, grass green Chinese robes. He had long, white hair and a beard. Then, there was a pair of twins, both of them buff, tan men with short blonde hair. Shu spoke to another man in a trench coat, who was a bit lanky and had black hair styled in a pompadour.

"Captain Heihozu! Sir! I a-apologize, but Huo d-died, and if anyone knew where the Aurum w-went, it w-would be him…" Shu said, his beady eyes falling.

"Huo was clumsy…" The man with the white beard said.

"Oh come on, Yan!" One of the twins said.

"Yeah!" The other chimed in.

"Niyuu, Jiyuu, you know it to be true." Yan replied.

"Quiet, all of you!" Heihozu cried. "So, no one knows?!" Everyone fell silent. "Damn it!" Heihozu slammed his fist on the control panel in front of him. Suddenly, the entire ship tilted. Everyone, except Yan, fell over. The twins quickly rushed over to a pair of control panels and pressed a bunch of buttons, the ship becoming balanced again. Heihozu got to his feet, his knees wobbling.

"Erm… Well, Niyuu, Jiyuu, find them!" Heihozu commanded, pointing in front of him.

"Yes sir!" The twins answered. Yan sighed…

Harry and Lark were standing side-by-side as they rode an escalator up to the main marketplace. A child ran up the stairs between them, laughing. When they arrived at the top, they stepped forward and their eyes lit up with excitement. They were on a wide street full of people, entering and exiting stores, crowding around colorful stands full of goods, and gawking at other types of displays. The air smelt of fresh almonds. They walked forward, wandering with eyes wide when Harry realized they were separating from each other. Harry took Lark by the wrist.

"We need to stay together. It looks like we could really get lost here…" Harry said. Lark nodded...

Harry and Lark entered in a clothing store, Harry instantly browsing through their selection. Harry gathered a couple of things, and smiling down at the pile in his arms, he called out to Lark.

"Lark! I'm going to go try some stuff on! Come over! I want to get your opinion!" Lark approached him as Harry entered the changing room, closing the door behind him. Lark waited outside in silence until a couple of minutes passed when Harry exited. He was wearing light stressed blue jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a black, purple, and white Rynex Space Race racing jacket. Harry moved some loose hair out of his face and struck a pose, putting his hands in his pockets.

"How do I look?" Harry asked.

"Well, I'm not too familiar with clothes. The clothes I have now were picked out by Ron…" Lark answered, his eyes falling.

"I see… Yeah, he dressed me too. I like these pants a lot more than the other ones. The other ones are pretty tight…" Harry was still not used to the black leather pants Ron had given him. "So, tell me, how do I look? Good or bad?" Lark's eyes began to study his outfit.

"Well, the jacket matches the ribbon tying your hair…" Lark replied.

"Good! I think I like coordinating my outfits!" Harry replied with a smile. "Now, why don't you try something on? Go ahead! Grab something!" Harry went back into the changing room to change back into his clothes while Lark searched, particularly for something that his fingers liked. Lark passed by mannequins with two arms, sometimes multiple arms, dressed up in the system's latest fashions. There were even some traditional Watao clothes, made of a silk-like material.

Soon, Lark was in the changing room next to the one Harry was in. The, Harry was waiting outside, impatient.

"Hurry up, Lark!" Harry shouted. In moments, Lark stumbled out of the changing room, wearing a black _haori _and white _hakama._ Harry stared at him, looking a bit confused.

"That looks like it must have been hard to put on…" Harry commented.

"It's comfortable…" Lark replied. A brief moment of silence passed. "I think I like what Ron picked out better." He returned to the changing room to put on his normal clothes. Harry purchased his new outfit with a card and in no time, they were back on the street…

Something then caught Lark's eye; it was a large aquarium. Lark looked into the entrance of the aquarium, watching crowds walk inside. Lark pointed at it and shortly, Harry was sliding the card in the ticket machine, purchasing admission for two for the aquarium.

The aquarium was cool and dark, the only light coming from the bright blue tanks built into the walls. Some tanks reached from the ceiling to the floor; and at one point, Harry and Lark entered a dome-shaped room with a ceiling full of fish swimming above them. The fish were from all of the system's planets. Lark found himself giggling at the fish with the bigger lips and at times, completely silent as he watched graceful ray-like fish swim. Harry was silent the entire time, watching Lark. He wasn't sure what to make of the aquarium itself. The fish were mildly interesting, but what really made him reflect was watching Lark react to the fish. Harry hadn't really seen him happy before. Perhaps it was because he could relate to the feeling of being in a tank? He wasn't sure.

"I like the flying fish most, I think…" Lark commented. Harry looked at the tank Lark was watching, seeing a small school of them soar by. Harry smiled.

"They make flying look so easy…" Harry said.

Harry and Lark exited the aquarium to spot a small café. A small sign advertising ice cream was out in the front, along with tables and chairs. Harry pointed at the sign.

"We should get some!" Harry said, turning to Lark. Lark shrugged. "I remember liking this…" Harry continued.

Soon, they were sitting down, eating ice cream together.

"I remember liking this…" Harry repeated. "I haven't had it in a long time though…"

"I like it." Lark said, ice cream dripping onto his chin. Harry snickered and motioned to him that he should wipe his chin. Lark gasped and did so, blushing lightly out of embarrassment.

The two of them quietly enjoyed the rest of their ice cream when Harry suddenly asked,

"Lark, how long have you been living with Ron?"

"About two months." Lark answered. "That's when I woke up again."

"Again?"

"Well, I've woken up three times, I think…" Lark said, trailing off a bit.

"What do you mean? Ron's woken up more than that since we left the Sentinel System." Harry replied.

"No… What I mean is something different. The third time I woke up, I met Ron… But the second time was when I met the Watao pirates… I don't remember the first time I woke up, but the Watao pirates kidnapped me from a group of Rynex scientists, saying that I was theirs."

"Really?"

"Yes… I was nothing but a navigation system to them though. I just existed in the shipped…"

"I see… Well, I woke up to Ron. Ron implied that some of my memories are missing, but I think I know enough to get around."

"I've never done anything like this before… Seeing those fish swim so freely made me think of being the Aurum with you. It's the first time I've ever been comfortable in a ship… And this is the first time I've ever had ice cream… It's all because of you and Ron..." Lark looked up at him, his fallow brown eyes softening with his smile. "Thank you."

Harry fell silent. He felt something he thought he lost long ago. He wasn't completely sure what it was, but all he could do was smile…

Harry and Lark were walking again, crossing in front of a bank, when suddenly, a man in a grey suit with a vest of explosives strapped around his body ran out. He bumped into Lark, but then grabbed him in a chokehold. Lark struggled, but couldn't get free. Harry, caught off guard, was ready to fight the man, when the man pulled out a cell phone, holding it up in his free hand. Harry froze. He understood the situation.

"Don't come near me! None of you! None of you understand me!" the man cried. "I want my damn job back and if I don't get it back with a pension, I'm going to blow all of you to hell!" Lark looked up to the man, frowning.

"There's more to a life than a job… I learned that today…" Lark said, hoping the man would hear him. The man looked down at him with wild eyes. "I'm a bio android and for the first time, I've had ice cream—"

"What do you know?! You're a damn machine! You don't know what it's like to have the same job for ten years to suddenly lose everything!" The man cried. Lark's eyes fell. Sneakily, a wire shot out of one of Lark's fingers to connect to the port in the cell phone. Lark fell silent as the man yelled additional demands to the crowd of people that had distanced themselves. Harry was grinding his teeth, frustrated with fear. The wire then carefully slithered back into his finger. Just then, there were sirens. "Who called the police?! That's it! Everyone dies!" the man yelled. People tried to run, stumbling all over each other. He held up his phone for everyone to see again and clicked a button, but… nothing happened. Lark had deleted the code the man needed to set off the bomb. He kept on clicking the button, franticly, when wires suddenly shot out from all of Lark's fingers. They wrapped around the man's arms and suddenly sent a powerful wave of electricity to shock him. The man let out a cry of pain and fell to his knees, releasing Lark. The police arrived to the scene and arrested the man, who was now twitching on the ground. Harry rushed over to Lark, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Why didn't you run away, Harry?" Lark asked him right away.

"I thought I was going to lose you again!" Harry said with concern in his eyes. Lark's eyes fell.

"You should have run away…" He said softly. Harry's brows furrowed.

"Don't tell me what to do. No one does." He replied in a sharp tone. Lark's eyes jumped back up to meet his. Harry's gaze was fierce. Harry then let him go…

The two of them resumed shopping when another place caught Lark's eye. It was a stand, advertising that it had rare flowers from Flonoe. Lark approached a potted flower resembling a group of red spider lilies. Harry smiled at Lark's fascination.

"Do you want it?" Harry asked. Lark turned to him, looking a little concerned.

"It looks pretty expensive…"

"It's okay. I've got a card." Harry replied. On the card, it read "Ron MacDougall." Lark nodded to him, smiling now…

Ron was in the garage when he suddenly sneezed.

"I feel like I'm missing something…" Ron said to himself quietly…

Evening had fallen on the asteroid, the "sky" fading to a dark blue. Lark held his new plant in one arm, while the other held a _hanami dango _on a stick. Harry was eating one as well. Suddenly, there was a loud crack, making Harry jolt. It was that familiar sound again. Was Ron nearby? Lark pointed up, pointing at blue fireworks streaming down the sky. The two of them stopped by a stand to watch, more fireworks exploding in the air.

"What is this?" Lark asked.

"I'm not sure…" Harry replied. Just then, a familiar voice spoke from behind them.

"There's no way…" the voice said. Harry turned around to suddenly meet Gene Starwind, eye-to-eye. Melfina stood by his side. Instantly, images flooded Harry's mind. The pupils of his eyes grew small as if he was looking at a bright light.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, trying to stay in the present moment.

"This must be some kind of sick joke… Are you—I mean you—Harry MacDougall?" Gene asked, looking bewildered.

"Yes…" Harry replied, a little delayed. Gene then looked over at Lark, who was clearly intimidated—then, back over to Harry.

"I thought you were destroyed…"

"Well, I was, but… I'm here." Harry replied. Gene glared at Harry now.

"I hope you know that I haven't forgotten anything." Gene said in a threatening tone. He drew closer. Harry's mind suddenly flickered to a single image of Melfina running from him. Harry took a step back, dropping his shopping bag and his _hanami dango_.

"What do you want from me?!" Harry yelled. Lark looked over at Harry, looking scared. Why had he yelled like that?

"Gene…" Melfina whispered.

"Harry, I don't know what you're doing here, but I can't help but to wonder what a ghost like you would do with a second chance like this!" Gene yelled back. Harry took another step back. Melfina then looked at Lark. She then held her head as if she was in pain. Gene suddenky looked over at her.

"Melfina, are you alright?" Gene said softly. Melfina's eyes teared up. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know…" Melfina replied. Lark picked up Harry's shopping bag with his other hand and ran to his side. Melfina's arms dropped slowly. Gene looked at Lark and then back over to Harry again.

"Figures. In all of the systems, you find a friend who looks just like her." Gene continued. Lark looked down at himself and then at Gene, looking disgusted.

"Leave him alone." Harry threatened. Lark took Harry's hand. Suddenly, Melfina got between them.

"Please… No more." Melfina said. Gene's expression softened. She then turned to face the fireworks. "I just want to watch the fireworks…" She continued. Harry watched her, no longer feeling like an animal backed into a corner. Somehow, he felt at ease. Gene sighed and turned to face the fireworks as well.

"Let's get closer." Gene said, beginning to walk forward. Melfina looked back over at Harry and Lark, frowning. She then followed Gene, taking his hand, and they both disappeared into the crowds. Lark gave Harry's hand a squeeze.

"I like fireworks, Harry." Lark said quietly. Harry then looked over at him and smiled.

"Me too." Harry replied. Though he wasn't completely sure of what had just happened, he wanted to forget all of it and instead, wonder why Lark was holding his hand so tightly.


	6. Episode 5

Episode 5: Lawless

A man in a brown, suede duster coat approached Harry and Lark, holding a gun. He had a mild tan and a handsome face with deep blue eyes. His hair was a midnight blue and spikey. Lark turned around to see him and gasped. Harry was still smiling up at the fireworks when he looked over at Lark to see his back. Harry quirked a brow, wondering what was more interesting than the fireworks, and turned around, seeing the man pointing the gun.

"You friends with Gene Starwind?" The man said. Lark, without any hesitation, took Harry by the hand and began to run. Their shopping bags swung back and forth wildly around their wrists. Lark and Harry ran through the spice market, a maze of stands presenting piles of colorful spices. The man fired at them multiple times, rainbows of spices spraying through the air. Lark and Harry covered their eyes when they could. People began to scream and abandon what they were doing to avoid becoming involved in the pursuit. Lark then slid down underneath a table, pulling Harry down with him. Lark gently tugged the tablecloth down to hide them.

"This Gene Starwind…" Harry growled. Lark hushed him as a pair of dusty boots walked right past them. A vortex of panic filled Lark's stomach as he watched the boots stop to walk back over to them. Suddenly, a sharp, silver blade shot out from the tip of his boot, pointed at Lark's face. His breath halted.

"Come on out. I need to talk to you. You're worth more alive and speaking than in pieces and dying." The man said. Lark and Harry crawled out from under the table and got to their feet. They held their hands up, their bags sliding down their arms to rest at their shoulders. "Put your damn hands down. I ain't the police. Now, go where I say and no one gets shot up like they're made out of paper."

…Harry, Lark, and the man with the gun were sitting at the counter of a bar called "Blue Moon." The man was laughing.

"Get somethin' to drink! Don't be so tense!" The man said, sipping from a glass of Terran scotch on the rocks. Harry and Lark said nothing. The man then sighed. "Alright, might as well get down to business. I saw you talking to Gene Starwind… and I wanna know why."

"He was threatening me." Harry replied right away, shooting him a glare.

"Now, my next question is, why you? Who are you and how are you warranting a threat?"

"To be honest with you, all of this is very new to me…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that I didn't know why until he was done speaking with me, so bear with me, okay?" Harry replied, letting out a sigh.

"Looks like you need something to drink." The man suggested again.

"Whatever you're drinking smells, so I don't think so." Harry said in a sharp tone.

"To each his own." The man replied, taking another sip. He puckered his lips for a moment and and then put the glass down. "So, go on now."

"A lot of my memories were lost…"

"What? You got amnesia or something?"

"No… I'm a bio android and—it's complicated…" Harry let out another sigh.

"No, I think I get it. We're all like computers one way or another…" The man looked over at Lark for a moment and Lark looked away as if he could toss his gaze out of his mind. The man looked back at Harry. "I'm no bio android, but I'm sure there's something in the data banks about him."

"Yeah… Though I could have lost it if you continued chasing me." Harry snapped.

"Listen, if you're going to get on my nerves, I'm gunna stomp on yours. Now, talk." The man demanded. Harry glared at him again but then decided he would give in.

"Gene Starwind… Speaking to him triggered some of my memories… The only clear one I have of him is of the space race both of us competed in in the Heifong System years ago…" Harry's eyes unfocused as he began to review the memories that had flickered across his mind when he was arguing with Gene earlier. Lark looked over at him, wondering just what he was seeing. "I was navigating my brother Ron's ship, the El Dorado—"

"The El Dorado? You mean THE El Dorado? Now how did you get on a ship like that? I mean, unless you're who I think you are—" Harry interrupted him; he didn't want to tell him his name, even though he was sure he had already identified him.

"We were going to fight the Outlaw Star in the Heifong Asteroid Belt. We were doing pretty well for a while until our ships engaged in close combat. His ship, the Outlaw Star, had grappler arms like ours. Just when we began to think we had the upper hand, Gene rammed our ship with this… this drill… He boarded the ship and then—" Harry's eyes then darted over to his own arm. Suddenly, he heard a gunshot in his head. Harry immediately grabbed his arm, looking like he was in pain. He saw everything; he felt it. Lark looked over at him, looking extremely concerned. The man waited for him to finish. Harry looked down at his hand, his fingers twitching. Lark gently took his hand into his and looked at it, wondering if it was malfunctioning. Harry moved his fingers and then Lark released it.

"Did you just have some kind of glitch or something?" The man asked.

"Yeah, I did…" Harry lied. "Anyway, that's all I know about Gene Starwind. He threatened me today because he was still mad about me attacking his ship."

"Good reason." The man replied. Just then, Ron entered the bar. He wasn't expecting to see Harry and Lark there, but when he did, he immediately rushed over.

"There you are! Harry, I got a bone to pick with you!"

"Man, you're sure stomping on a lot of toes…" The man muttered.

"What, Ron?" Harry looked up at him.

"Ron?" The man quirked a brow.

"What do you mean, 'What, Ron?' You took my card, didn't you?! You know I need that to pay the mechanic, right?! And I see you went shopping too!" Ron's eyes darted down to the shopping bags at their feet.

"You said we could!" Harry shouted back. Ron sighed.

"Yeah, I guess I did…" Ron then looked over at the young, blue haired man. "Who's this?"

"The name is Gallagher. I'm an outlaw."

"And I'm Ron MacDougall."

"THE Ron MacDougall? Then my suspicions were correct… So, I saw your brother here talking to Gene Starwind. And I wanna know why."

"Gene?" Ron looked over at Harry.

"He threatened me." Harry repeated. Ron looked back over at Gallagher.

"I see. Well, Gallagher, what's it to ya?" Ron asked. Gallagher took out his gun and put it to Lark's back.

"How much is he worth?" Gallagher said, smirking. Ron shrugged.

"I wouldn't know." Ron replied. Lark looked over at Ron, looking scared. Harry looked at the gun, feeling pain in his arm again. Harry finally understood what guns did: inflict pain. Harry looked up at Ron, making a face. Ron sighed.

"Alright, I'll tell you what I know." Ron said. Gallagher lowered his arm.

Ron told him the same story—the battle in the Heifong Asteroid Belt, except with more detail. He knew that this was the time to play dumb. There was no way he was going to tell some outlaw anything about the Outlaw Star and what it really was.

"No more than a ship with grappler arms. Nothin' special." Ron ended his story.

"But there's gotta be something special about it. Why would those damn pirates push themselves to the edge of the system trying to nab it?" Gallagher asked, a tad suspicious.

"They're pirates. Maybe you should try 'asking' one of them." Ron curled his fingers into the shape of a gun. Gallagher chuckled.

"So, Gene was just threatening your brother because of that fight?"

"Well, that and he tried to steal his girl."

"I see. That's definitely a crime." Gallagher said, laughing. Ron joined him. Harry sighed, frustrated. Gallagher than looked over at Lark. "Is she your sister?" Lark's eyes fell as he shook his head.

"That's weird. You look it." Gallagher commented. Harry instantly became enraged.

"Why does everyone keep on saying that?!" Harry shouted.

"Calm down, Harry." Ron said in a cool tone.

"Temper on this one. Well, I guess I've lost some time, but now I can at least say that I've had drinks with all kinds of people… including the MacDougall brothers." Gallagher smiled as he placed some paper currency on the counter. He got up and headed towards the exit when Harry suddenly spoke up.

"I think I can help you."

"What do you mean?" Gallagher stopped and turned to them. Harry grinned with a devious pair of eyes.

"Help you get Gene." Harry continued. "Now that I remember what I can do, I'm sure I can help you get him."

"And why would you want to help me?"

"Because I also remember what Gene did to me."

"And what's that?"

"I remember not liking the feeling of getting shot." Harry stood up now. Gallagher smiled.

The two guards responsible for logging the ships docking into the Pewter VI ports had been knocked out. Gallagher stood in front of their unconscious bodies as Harry knelt down and shot his uplink cable into the main computer. His mind raced with information. He searched every single port—all 151 of them—to discover the Outlaw Star.

"The Outlaw Star is in port 77." Harry stated.

Suddenly, in the digital world, Harry saw a pink, little pill-shaped robot hopping around. Harry ran over to grab it and squeeze it.

Harry was quiet for a moment until he withdrew the cable and spoke up.

"And according to its OS, it's… leaving… to go to Sentinel III."

"Sentinel III? That's some trip. Well, looks like I'll just have to chase it. Anyway, thanks. If you ever need the help of an outlaw, look for me and my ship, the Cazar." Gallagher turned his back to the group and waved as he left. Harry stood up and Ron smiled down at him.

"That was nice of you." Ron said.

Ron, Harry, and Lark headed back to the ship. Once they got inside, Lark watered his flower and Ron sat down in the pilot's chair.

"So I found out a couple of things, Harry." Ron crossed his ankles. "Russell Periwinkle, the Cronian I told you about, really regrets donating this ship. Also found out that some Watao pirates have been trying to track it down for the past two years. Basically, found out nothing else we don't already know, but we at least know that this ship really is special—" Suddenly, there was a thud coming from the back of the ship. All of them turned around to face it. One of the lockers in the back began to shake. Harry approached it cautiously, ready to attack whatever was inside, when Harper fell out onto his side, bound with rope. Lark ran over to them, looking down at him. Harry looked back over at Ron. Ron smiled and shrugged.

"This ship is going to need a mechanic. I'm just borrowing him for a bit." Ron said.

"How dare you kidnap me and force me onto this marvelous work of art!" Harper cried. Lark bent down to gently pet his face, fingers gliding across the feathers.

"You're soft…" Lark said, smiling.

"Why thank you! Wait a second—I will not accept compliments from criminals! Now, move your hand or else I'll bite it off!" Harper opened his small beak and Lark immediately withdrew his hand. Harry then pushed the tip of his boot onto Harper's back and then rolled him over onto his face. Harper sighed as Ron laughed at him.

"So, where are we going?" Harry said, turning to face him.

"Rynex." Ron answered.

"The capital planet? Why?"

"Because I think we're gunna have to find out more about Lark in order to find out more about the Aurum… And the last place Lark was before the damn pirates took him was Rynex." Ron began to prepare to disembark. Lark frowned as he got into the navigational tube.

As the Aurum took off from port 100, Captain Heihozu's ship pulled in to port 101. Shu and Yan exited the ship and immediately went to the tower where Harry had hacked into before. The guards had begun to wake up, only to be killed by Yan. Shu hacked into the main computer, only to find out that the Aurum had left. Shu withdrew his uplink cable and put his finger to his ear.

"Captain Heihozu, sir! The Aurum is gone!"

Meanwhile, in the ship, Captain Heihozu cursed.

"Well, can you at least find out where it's going?!" Captain Heihozu shouted.

"W-well… if the ship was still here—"

"Forget it!" Captain Heihozu shouted. "We'll track them down later! Right now, I want ice cream anyway!"


	7. Episode 6

Episode VI: A Dark Day on Rynex

Like Crone, Rynex had a green sky and was nothing more than a giant city. Though it lacked the upscale districts of Crone, it was just as technologically advanced and populated. While the rich flocked to Crone, the scientists flocked to Rynex, where all kinds of discoveries were made and all kinds of ships were developed and built. Aliens from all three systems traveled here.

Ron, Harry, and Lark exited the ship. Harry's and Lark's eyes widened, soaking in the busy scenery.

"This place looks just like Crone." Ron commented.

"This place is even busier than Pewter VI!" Harry cried.

"Of course it is, Harry. The entire planet is like this."

"Why didn't we let Harper come with us?" Lark asked, turning to Ron. "He sounded really excited about coming here…"

"That's because he wants to escape." Ron snickered. "So, now all we have to do is find a planetary directory and find that lab… What is called, Lark? Do you remember?"

"Starfish. Starfish Lab." Lark said quietly. His eyes fell, as if they were searching for something.

"Starfish… Okay, Starfish…" Ron mumbled to himself as he approached a directory he discovered feet away. There were no results to the search. "Huh."

"Maybe the lab got destroyed with the pirate attack…" Harry trailed off.

"No, it wasn't destroyed… Maybe something else happened to it?" Lark said, looking over at Harry.

"Well, I guess I should just search for 'laboratory' then." Ron said as he typed it in. Suddenly, the directory froze. The three of them waited in silence, but Ron grew impatient and yelled. "What the hell just happened?!"

"I think it's frozen…" Lark approached it, looking at the screen intently. Suddenly, the search unfroze and the three of them let out a sigh of relief. "It's suggesting by districts…"

"Well, I guess that slims it down a little…" Harry laughed. Ron turned to him, looking annoyed.

"Thanks for the support, bonehead." Ron said, putting his hands on his hips. Harry mimicked him.

"'Bonehead?'"

"Forget about it." Ron said, dropping his arms. Lark was swiping his finger across the directory.

"The Benthic District… Maybe we should start there. It's not too far from here…" Lark suggested. Ron turned to him and sighed.

"I can't believe we'll have to search the entire damn planet for a lab that doesn't even exist anymore!"

"Ron… The reason why this district stood out to me is not because it's nearby, but because there is an unmarked building on the map."

"Well now, doesn't that sound suspicious?" Ron leaned in to look at the unmarked building on the map. "Well, there's a hotel nearby. How about we settle down a bit before we investigate?"

"Yeah. Navigating a whole ship isn't easy, but it's nowhere near as exhausting as piloting a ship, of course." Harry teased. Ron quirked a brow.

"I see sarcasm is coming back to you, Harry."

"It's archived." Harry said back, smiling. Ron then raised his hand up in the air and in seconds, a hovering yellow taxi lowered itself down in front of them.

"Now that's service!" Ron laughed. The three of them got inside and Ron informed the driver that they wanted to go to "The Ocean Hotel" near the Benthic District…

Ron opened the door to step inside the room and stopped right in the threshold. Lark peeked around him to look into the room.

"Move, Ron!" Harry said.

"There are only two beds…" Lark stated. Ron looked back at them.

"I love ya, Harry, but I'm not sleeping in a bed with another man." Ron said. Harry sighed…

Soon, Ron was asleep, and Harry and Lark were in one bed together, backs to each other.

"He really does snore loud…" Harry whispered. "No woman is ever going to want to sleep with him." Suddenly, a hard silence fell between them. Lark was staring into the wall, mind ticking away. Harry closed his eyes, beginning to get tired when suddenly, Lark spoke up.

"Harry… What does the Aurum have to do with me?"

"I'm not sure…" Harry replied, his eyes snapping open. "Maybe it's because you're both so compatible?"

"That is true, but I think you are too." Lark paused. "I think there are some things Ron isn't telling me…"

"Ron would never keep secrets from me."

"But what about me?" Lark said. Harry paused a bit before replying.

"What if I ask for you?" Harry suggested.

"No, he'll know it's because of me. I don't want to get you into trouble… I guess I'll know someday… But I wonder why I've been… Well, thrown back and forth between so many groups of people… You won't throw me away, will you, Harry?"

"I don't think Ron would do that…" Harry immediately answered.

"Are you sure?"

"I just don't think Ron would do that…"

"I mean… First, I was brought to some lab from wherever I was… I was with all of these scientists until some pirates kidnapped me… Then, I was their navigational system for two years… And then, they dumped me on Sentinel III, saying I was defective… And now, I'm with you… And the very same pirates want to kidnap me again. What is my value?" Lark asked, his throat tightening. Harry took everything in before responding.

"I don't think value can be determined by others…"

"How else is value determined then?" Lark sat up now. "Remember when you bought the flower for me?"

"The flower? Oh, that red thing! Yeah, I do. What about it?"

"It was expensive because it was something rare. That means it isn't found often by others. Therefore, it is highly valued."

"I guess that's how it works…" Harry said, brows furrowing. Harry wondered what he was trying to get at.

"So, what is my value then?"

"I don't know, okay?! I don't even know mine!" Harry said in a sharp tone. "I just 'woke up,' Lark! Why are you asking me this, like I know something you don't?!" Lark's eyes fogged up with tears. He quietly sunk down under the covers.

"Good night, Harry…" Lark said before drifting off into slumber…

"Wake up, Harry. Lark." Ron said loudly. It was quite far into the night and Rynex was alive with neon lights. Harry and Lark both woke up.

"You snore too loud." Harry whined.

"Thanks, Harry. Anyway, we're going to break into that unlisted building." Ron said.

"We could get into a lot of trouble…" Lark replied. Ron smirked.

"Trouble, huh? Been friends since." He replied. The two of them rolled out of bed…

Harry and Lark both had their uplink cables plugged into the card key slot of one of the doors in the back of the unlisted building.

"I can't unlock it." Lark said.

"Me either. It's just too simple... Like a yes or no, or true or false, and it's just not working."

"Step back." Ron ordered. The two of them withdrew their cables and stepped back. Ron took out his gun, pointed it, and shot the card key slot; Lark covered his ears. Without a single alarm, the door had been unlocked. Harry turned to him.

"How did you know that would work?!" Harry asked.

"I didn't." Ron replied, smiling.

"What if there was an alarm…" Lark said quietly as they entered the lab.

"There wasn't one, so I would like to consider this a small victory." Ron said, chuckling. "Besides, if there was an alarm, that would mean that if they ever had a situation, they would want to get the attention of the authorities, and I think making a request to be unlisted in the directory is enough to tell you that they don't want to be on the radar at all." Ron continued. Lark nodded. He then saw a logo on one of the walls in the room they had entered, saying "Starfish Labs."

"We're here." Lark replied.

"Lucky!" Ron shouted.

"It looks exactly the same as it did then… and I clearly remember that the main computer was in the basement. That's where I was…" Lark continued.

"Good! Then that's where we'll go!" Ron said, walking past quads of cubicles. Among piles and piles of documents on the desks, there were computers with blank screens, lighting up the aisles.

They headed for the stairs, Ron guessing that the elevator was most likely not operational on minimal power. They climbed down at least three flights of stairs before they reached the bottom of the building.

"Are you sure this is the floor?" Harry asked, looking over at Lark.

"I'm not sure…" Lark said, staring at another card key slot. Ron aimed his gun and shot it without saying a word. Lark jumped a bit.

"Sorry. I thought if it worked the first time, it would work the second time." Ron teased.

They walked inside to see that the lights were on, unlike the rest of the building.

"Looks like they forgot to turn off the lights." Ron commented. "Well, Harry, I think it's time to get to work."

"Why me?" Harry asked, pouting. Ron shrugged. "Fine." Harry bent down, looking at the panel for any kind of slot to plug into. When he found one, he shot his uplink cable into it and immediately logged himself in. A moment of silence passed before Harry spoke up. "I just see a pattern of… letters…"

"Letters? What does that even mean?" Suddenly, metal shutters covering up the glass window in front of them began to rise up. All of them froze in place, wondering if they were going to be caught when they saw something that stunned them far beyond what they could ever imagine. Beyond the glass was a line of ten bodies that looked identical to Lark, floating in some kind of fluid. "What the hell is this?..." Ron said, stepping back. Lark looked at them, his bottom lip quivering. He then bent down next to Harry to plug his uplink cable into the main computer.

In the digital world, Lark appeared next to Harry, surrounded by a pattern of letters spiraling around them: "A," "T," "C," and "G" over and over again. Suddenly, an axe materialized in Larks hands. Screaming, he began to smash the letters, which fell down onto the invisible plain they were standing on. Harry watched him, too afraid to stop him, even with words. Lark hacked at the letters until they were bleeding into the floor like ink.

Lark and Harry both disconnected and Lark stood up, approaching the control panel.

"Lark, what are you doing?" Ron asked, looking concerned. He then typed in a fury and when he was finished, he pressed a large button, saying "abort" under it. There was the sound of a fan whirring and in seconds, the bodies in the glass began to disintegrate before their eyes. Ron and Harry looked horrified. Lark then turned his back to the scene and began to walk out of the room.

"Let's go. There's nothing of value here." Lark said coldly. Ron looked over at Harry, who was watching Lark leave. He felt his stomach turning. What did he just see? Harry then looked over at Ron, looking very uncomfortable, when Ron nodded his head. Ron followed Lark, Harry soon joining him. They exited the lab, silent, to return to the hotel. As soon as they got there, Lark got under the covers and turned himself to face the wall…

The next day, everyone was entering the ship, getting ready to disembark. When they got inside, they discovered that Harper was sitting in the pilot's seat, lounging. Ron quirked a brow.

"How did you get free?" Ron asked.

"With a lot of diligence." Harper replied, cocking his head to the side. "I even went out to stock up on supplies."

"So, why didn't you run away? Don't tell me that you've become attached to your captor; that's just demented."

"I did—to the ship, I mean." Harper admitted. Ron chuckled.

"So, are you considering the position of mechanic?"

"Oh, yes! I mean—I don't think my opinion matters at this point." Harper rose to his feet.

"Perfect! So, now that we've gotten what we needed here, I think it's time to go to Crone." Ron said, sitting down in the pilot's seat.

"Why Crone?" Harry asked.

"I think I need to talk to Russell Periwinkle. I think he'll know more about the Aurum. Should have gone to him first…" Ron sighed, feeling guilty about bringing them here. Lark silently walked past him and jumped down into the navigational tube. Harry frowned and walked over to Ron.

"Ron… What happened last night?" Harry asked quietly.

"Well… From what I could tell, that lab made clones of Lark." Ron answered. Harper sat down further back, listening to their conversation.

"What are clones?"

"Copies."

"But why would anyone make a copy of Lark?" Harry said, looking perplexed.

"I'm not sure, Harry. I'm thinking Russell Periwinkle might know more about it."

"So, why did Lark have the clone's bodies destroyed? Are they going to live in that computer in that lab now?"

"Not exactly, Harry…"

"What do you mean?"

"They died."

"'Died?' What does that mean?" Harry asked, sounding quite naïve. Ron let out a big sigh.

"I'm no philosopher, Harry, but I was taught about what death is a long time ago… Basically, it's when you don't see someone anymore. No body. No mind. Nothing."

"So since my body was destroyed, did I die?" Harry asked. Ron froze.

"Yes, Harry… but you made a copy of your mind in the Shangri La…"

"A copy? Like a clone?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then what is it, Ron?!" Harry began to shout. "This body… What am I?! What kind of value do I have?!" Harry was reminded of his conversation with Lark. Harper left the room silently. Ron then brought Harry into a hug. Harry, who had become tense, began to relax.

"You're my brother, Harry… and if I had to, I'd die for you. You're all I've got in this damn universe. In other words… you're worth another whole life." Harry's eyes widened.

"Sorry, Ron… I didn't mean to shout… Let's go to Crone now. I'm ready." Harry said softly. Ron released him.

"Yeah…"


	8. Episode 7

Thanks to one of my best friends, I was able to resume writing after such a dramatic chapter.

Episode VII: Tea with Mr. Periwinkle

Everyone was sitting around with plates on their laps as the Aurum slowly drifted towards Crone. On the plates were an omelet with onion and tomato. Ron laughed.

"See? I told you I could cook!" Ron said proudly. Lark poked at it with his fork, making a face. Ron saw this and spoke up. "Is something wrong?" Lark nervously spoke up.

"It's really—" Harry interrupted.

"Undercooked." Harry said, pulling his omelet open. "Look! The tomato is just rolling down!"

"I'm not a chef!" Ron cried. "If anyone else wants to take a shot at it, go right ahead!"

"I think I can make something…" Harper said quietly.

"Oh yeah?" Ron looked over at him with judgmental eyes.

"Well, it would require some ingredients I don't think you have… There are these rodents from Shar…"

"Rodents?!" Ron looked queasy. "We ain't eating any kind of rodents here!"

"What's a rodent?" Harry asked, looking at Ron.

"Something no one should be eating."

"I think it's pretty good, if seasoned properly. I like mine a little on the rare side, but the spicier, the better actually—"

"Shut up and eat." Ron said, still looking uneasy.

Meanwhile, Captain Heihozu and his crew were eating ice cream aboard their ship—everyone except Yan, who decided to get a shave instead. He had shaved his beard off instead; he somehow looked his actual age now, which was fairly young.

"This stuff is great!" Niyuu said.

"Would I ever steer you wrong?" Captain Heihozu said, laughing. Suddenly, a transmission came in. The screen was blank and a booming, deep voice came through, making Captain Heihozu jump.

"WHERE ARE YOU?..." The voice said. Captain Heihozu swallowed hard.

"W-we were just leaving Pewter VI, m-my lord!"

"WHERE ARE THEY, HEIHOZU?..."

"I'm sorry! I know there are no excuses… But they just keep on eluding us! The ship is very fast for an old ship!"

"THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED… DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT I HAVE TOLD YOU?"

"Y-yes, sir! Of course! I would never forget!"

"DO YOUR BEST TO REMEMBER THEN …" The voice said before disconnecting. Beads of sweat ran down Captain Heihozu's temples. His crew turned to him, silent.

"A-alright, everyone! N-new plan! We're going to Crone!"

"W-why's that, sir?" Shu asked.

"Because we're going to kidnap Periwinkle! We may not be able to catch the Aurum right now, but we can get the guy who had it!"

"And squeeze him for information…" Yan added.

"Y-yeah! That's right!" Captain Heihozu said nervously. He never knew what to expect from Yan. He had joined Captain Heihozu after direct orders from the Watao pirates elite. He was distant and he killed indiscriminately. Captain Heihozu had taken lives—mostly on accident—but like some jailed criminals, he had nightmares of his victims. He was sure that Yan killed without any kind of guilt. Maybe the others did too. He wasn't sure... Captain Heihozu constantly felt like a trapped animal, wondering just what kind of life he signed up for when he inherited his father's ship, the Juiju. The brown ship headed towards Crone…

Ron, Harry, Lark, and Harper arrived to Crone. They exited the ship, looking around.

"This planet looks just like Rynex…" Harry commented.

"Yeah. That's why they're sister planets." Ron said. Lark was already keying things into a directory nearby.

"It says Russell Periwinkle lives in the Garden District… Which somehow isn't far from here…" Lark looked over to the crew.

"That's why I had you two dock the ship here." Ron said. Lark walked over to them. "Well, let's go then."

"I won't be coming." Harper stated. Ron quirked a brow.

"Running away? I'll shoot you right here right now if that's what you're thinking."

"No, no. I thought I would buy more supplies. This ship is too pretty to keep on drifting in space with all of these dents…"

"You're giving our ship a makeover? Don't even think of painting it."

"Of course not!"

"Good. Because gold is my favorite color." Ron said, smirking.

"You and my boss." He sighed. "I wonder how he's doing now…"

"Weilo?" Harry asked, thinking back to the _tanuki_-like robot they had met.

"Yeah…" Harper let out another sigh.

"Well, we'll be going now." Ron said, raising his hand. A yellow taxi floated down, opening its doors. "I love this kind of service!" Ron said excitedly. The three of them climbed in and they headed to the Garden District.

The Garden District of Crone was full of plant life. There were even ivy-like plants crawling up buildings.

They arrived at Periwinkle's home, which was a large mansion with large ivory gates. Ron whistled.

"Some place, huh. Nothing like my old barn on Sentinel III, that's for sure."

"It is quite big…" Lark commented.

"So, how do we get in anyway?" Harry asked.

"There seems to be an intercom of some kind…" Lark leaned in towards the gate, seeing a keypad and a small speaker off to the side. Ron leaned in and pressed a button.

"Hey… Uhh… Russell Periwinkle?" Ron asked, hoping for a response.

"Yes?" A voice answered.

"Uh… This is Ron MacDougall. I won your ship, the Aurum, two years ago. Need to talk to you…"

"THE AURUM?" Suddenly, a small camera emerged, shifting to look at the three of them. It stopped, focusing on Lark. "Oh dear… Please, come in…" The voice said, the gates opening. Ron shrugged and walked forward, the other two following.

Soon, they were inside. The carpet was a deep red with a paisley design. The walls were covered in classical paintings from all three systems. They waited there in silence, eyes wandering.

"Ritzy…" Ron said quietly. Just then, Russell Periwinkle himself, dressed in a tailored brown suit (to match his eyes), came down the grand staircase. Though he was old, he moved quite quickly. He looked at the three of them, his mandibles moving wildly. Ron quirked a brow, wondering just what he was doing.

"So, have you come here to give me my Aurum back? We can discuss payment, of course. I was hoping one of you Watao pirates would come back with it!" Russell said, excited.

"We're not Watao pirates. Were you expecting some to bring it back?" Ron's eyes thinned.

"Not particularly… I mean, I only know that they are after it. I was hoping it was because I could offer them a handsome reward."

"I see. Well, never trust pirates to give you anything."

"I suppose…" Russell said quietly, his mandibles moving again. Harry snickered, finding it quite amusing. Russell suddenly looked over at him with a jolt. Harry immediately pressed his lips together, holding in any kind of laughter that might slip out. He then looked back at Ron. "I remember you now. You had that ship, the Shangri La."

"That's right."

"Well, since you already have a ship, are you going to give me my Aurum back?"

"What? No!"

"Then why are you here?..." Russell asked, sounding a little disappointed. He then noticed Lark, who was hiding behind Harry. Russell's head jolted to look at him. "Oh. I see, I see…"

"See what?"

"You have come here to talk about the Aurum."

"Yes!" Ron answered, sounding a bit frustrated.

"I see, I see… And you even brought him here." Russell extended his arm a bit, pointing his _tarsus_ at him.

"Yes?" Ron looked over at Lark and then Russell again, looking a bit confused.

"How did you get him?"

"He was dumped on my 'doorstop.' Why do you ask?" Russell hesitated in answering him.

"How about we go to my study and talk, Mr. MacDougall? My butler will take your company on a personal tour through the house." Russell said. He then turned his head and let out a loud shriek. All of them were caught off guard. Just then, another Cronian came, dressed in formal attire. He bowed his head and Russell spoke in some kind of series of squeaks to him. The butler then turned to Harry and Lark and said,

"Follow me now." Harry looked over at Lark and shrugged.

"And you may follow me, Mr. MacDougall." Russell said, turning around. Ron followed him up the stairs…

Ron was sitting down across from Russell, who had poured them both a cup of tea.

"Please. It's the flavor of the Garden District." Russell said, pushing a cup towards Ron.

"Sure." Ron said, taking the cup into his hands. Russell then reached into a small pot on the table, taking out what the Terrans referred to as a fly, except it was the size of a biscuit.

"Fly?" Russell asked, offering it to him.

"Uh… No thanks." Ron answered, trying hard not to make a face. Russell shrugged and dipped the dead fly into his tea before taking a bite.

"I like my sweets… So, what have you come to ask? Now that you have the two of them united, I'm sure you have many questions."

"'United,' huh? So, the Aurum and Lark are very much so connected…" Ron said, smiling now. He took a sip of his tea.

"Oh, yes. Very much so. They were built together."

"Built together?"

"Yes… You see, long ago, the Aurum and that boy were built together by Watao scientists."

"'Watao scientists?' Now that's something you don't hear everyday. I thought their culture frowned upon science."

"Oh, it does. This ship, however, was an exception. You see, it was built by Watao scientists, who were specifically employed by Watao pirates. They wanted to make a ship that combined science and Watao magic."

"Tao magic?"

"Indeed, indeed. How did you know that?" Russell said, mandibles moving again.

"You could say I'm familiar with it."

"Are you Watao?"

"No. But I'm a bit familiar with the Tao pirate magic."

"Ah, I see now. Are you sure you're not a pirate?"

"I'm not! I happen to have a caster staff that uses that kind of magic."

"Ah yes, that is right. There were weapons made... I never collected any of those. Too dangerous."

"So, how did you get the Aurum from the Watao anyway?"

"Well, let me explain. When the Aurum was finished, it was put through capability tests with that boy. They were soon separated because the two had been deemed incompatible. They couldn't get any kind of navigational system to work. They wanted to go to Flonoe and it just wouldn't work. That is when the Rynex scientists learned about the ship. They had spoken with the Watao scientists, and though the Rynex scientists wanted the ship, they settled for the so-called defective android, Project Lark. The Watao pirates grew impatient with the Watao scientists, who were struggling to come up with another android like Lark, when the Aurum was stolen by an outlaw called 'Gallagher.'"

"Gallagher? That punk?" Ron sneered.

"You know of him? He is the one who sold the Aurum to me. As you already know, I'm a ship collector. I had no idea it was stolen at the time, but I kept it hidden because of what he had told me when he brought it here. Not too much later, my old friend Gwen Khan had come by to view the latest addition to my collection. He was interested in it, but more interested in a ship called 'Outlaw Star' in the Sentinel System. However, he told me something interesting that I'll never forget…"

"Was it something like, 'If the maiden is lost, the knights will come?' Because I remember you saying that to me when I won the Aurum."

"Ah, yes! Good memory! How long has it been now?"

"Who cares?" Ron said with a little frustration.

"Well, Gwen Khan, before he left Watao, heard that the Watao scientists spoke of something called the 'Galactic Leyline,' which Gwen was obsessed with. He heard that the pirates from all three systems were in competition to create a ship to reach it. Personally, I've never heard of such a place. I don't know if it's a planet or something else… Anyway, Gwen told me that once he was done with his little project, he would meet me, but he never came back. I assumed he was dead… So I decided to donate the ship for one of my races."

"I see… and now you want it back?"

"Well, not because I want to go to some 'Galactic Leyline' or anything, but because I miss it. I don't have too many gold toys. Isn't that sad?"

"Well, sorry, but you're not getting it back."

"I should have known… How is the boy though?"

"Lark? Fine. I don't know why, but he and the Aurum work well together. It helps that my brother Harry is with him though."

"Is he another… well, android?"

"Yes, he is…"

"Perhaps the Aurum needed two compatible androids to pilot it…"

"That's the conclusion I came to."

"Yes. Looks like the Watao pirates were too stupid to realize that…" Russell took a sip of his tea. "Ah! It's grown cold now! Oh, foo!" He said, setting it down.

"Well, I now know why you didn't want to tell that story to Lark. But maybe I should let him know someday. I definitely can't hide it from my brother, that's for sure."

"I used to have a brother once. Well, actually, I used to have a lot of brothers. Sixty of them, in fact. But only some of us survived. You see, us Cronians have this ritual where we—"

"I don't care." Ron said coldly.

"Well, I thought it would be a rather interesting story, but alright. Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"I guess not…"

"I have some words of advice for you: Make sure that boy is happy."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think anyone works well when it's against their will. I really do believe that the Aurum is able to fly because of his relationship with you and your brother."

"I can't help but to wonder what it's like to be a part of the ship like Lark and Harry are." Ron rose to his feet.

"We'll never know." Russell said, getting up with him. "I do have one question for you though, Mr. MacDougall."

"What is it?"

"Do you think the pirates are after my—I mean—your ship because it can go to this 'Galactic Leyline?'"

"I bet." Ron answered. Russell's mandibles moved.

"Good luck against those nasty pirates, Mr. MacDougall. They'll be riding on your coattails for a long time."

"I know. Thanks, Russell Periwinkle."

Ron left the room and Russell Periwinkle sat down again to resume drinking tea.

Harry and Lark walked around the garage with the butler, looking up at all of the ships.

"Does he ever take any of these ships out of the garage?" Harry asked.

"No." The butler answered. Harry shrugged.

"Just thought I would ask." Harry said.

Soon, they were led back to the main room where Ron had been resting on a chaise lounge.

"Have a good chat?" Harry said in a sharp tone. The tour really bored him and he was now frustrated.

"A good one. We'll talk about it later, Harry." Ron said, sitting up. Lark looked at Ron, looking curious. Ron avoided his gaze. He got off of the chaise lounge and opened the front door…

Night had fallen on Crone and the crew had checked into a hotel. Ron and Harry shared a room, while Lark and Harper shared another. Though it was late, Ron was repeating what Russell had told him.

"You can't tell him…" Ron said. Harry's eyes had fallen, staring down at the floor. He nodded his head.

"But he does have a right to know." Harry said quietly.

"He does, but I don't think he would be able to pilot the Aurum if we told him. He has already gone through a lot, especially after what happened on Rynex."

"You're right…"

"Well, I'm turning in for the night, okay? Don't stay up late thinkin' about it." Ron said, turning off the lights. Harry laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, a long, silver ship from Russell Periwinkle's home took off. About an hour later, the Juiju arrived. Shu hacked into the locks that secured the house and immediately rushed inside with Yan. They tore through the house like a vicious wind, Russell Periwinkle nowhere to be seen. Shu put his finger up to his ear.

"Sir! He's gone! And o-one of his ships looks like it left the garage!"

"How did he know we were coming?!" Captain Heihozu shouted. "Great. Now we have two ships to find."

"We need to be more focused." Yan said.

"You're right… There's no point in chasing Russell Periwinkle. We have to find the Aurum…" Captain Heihozu said, eyes falling.


	9. Episode 8

Episode VIII: One's Purpose

The crew had gathered in their ship once more. Lark was watering his flower, Harry was changing into his new outfit, and Ron was lounging in the pilot's seat, watching the Cronian news on the main screen. Harry exited the locker room, walking over to Ron to watch the news.

"So, Harry. While Harper makes his 'repairs,' I'm going to look at this bill that just came in…" Ron said, pulling a paper out of the dashboard. Harry bit his lip.

"What the hell?! That flower cost me—this can't be! That thing better be made out of Dragonite!" Ron cried.

"He wanted it, so I got it for him. Okay?" Harry snapped. Ron looked over to Lark, who was still watering his flower. Ron sighed.

"Alright, alright. But what about those clothes of yours, huh?!" Ron said, pointing at Harry. Harry was wearing the outfit he bought: the black t-shirt; the light, stressed blue jeans; and the black, white, and purple Rynex Space Race racing jacket.

"Yeah? And? A guy should have more than one outfit, Ron."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron said, eyes thinning.

"Nothing. Just stating my opinion. So, are we going anywhere anytime soon?" Harry asked, sounding bored.

"Well, I was thinking Shar."

"Why Shar?" Harry asked, looking over to Lark as if he had some kind of answer. Lark shrugged.

"I'm thinking we could do some bar hopping." Ron answered.

"Bar hopping? Are you serious?!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"We're being chased by pirates! That's what!"

"We left 'em behind in the Sentinel System. I think you need to relax a bit. Maybe I'll get you a drink or two when we get there."

"If the drinks are as smelly as they were in that other bar on Pewter VI, I don't want any."

"You'll change your mind. Let's get going. I'll go get Harper." Ron chuckled, getting up. Harry and Lark entered their navigation tubes while Ron exited the ship.

"Done polishing the bird, Harper?" Ron called out. Suddenly, a glare of sunlight hit him in the eye. Ron winced and Harper hopped down off of the wing.

"Waxed!" Harper said proudly.

"You waxed… the ship?"

"Yes! As much as I could, that is…"

"You're whacked." Ron said, going back inside the ship. Harper followed him, muttering to himself about how ungrateful Ron was being.

The Aurum was leaving Crone when it suddenly halted in its orbit, drifting.

"What's going on?" Ron looked back at Harry and Lark. He gasped. Lark looked like he was drowning, writhing behind the glass. Ron ran over to him, trying to deactivate the navigation tube. "I can't get him out! Harry! Do something!" Ron said, panicking. Harry closed his eyes and entered into the digital world…

Suddenly, Harry saw a large group of rats chasing after Lark. Harry called out to him when Lark suddenly tripped. The rats began to run all over him, biting him with their sharp teeth. Lark covered his face with his arms, screaming. Harry ran over to him and kicked rats along the way, trying to get closer. He began to tear rats off of him, who had begun to bite him as well. Harry heard Ron call to him.

"Talk to me, Harry! What's going on?!" Ron said with his hands on the glass. Harry spoke through the ship.

"Small. Furry. Things, biting!" Harry cried.

"Sounds like rodents… I'll go check the engine and see if something got in." Harper said, jumping to his feet. He ran to the back of the ship and into the engine room, to find nothing…

Shu showed up in the digital world. He laughed as rats came from under his sleeves and raced towards Harry and Lark. Harry got to his feet and pulled Lark up, beginning to run. Suddenly, an axe appeared in Harry's hands. Harry stopped, turned around, and slashed at the air, a hole leading into some kind of abyss forming in front of him. The rats ran into the hole, disappearing. Shu, looking rather frustrated, continued to send out more rats. Suddenly, a spiral of numbers appeared around Lark, spinning.

"He's trying to steal information!" Lark cried. Harry's eyes widened. He ran towards Shu and once he got close, he swung the axe again. This time, Shu put his hands up and a barrier appeared, bouncing Harry back. Harry grinded his teeth, but in seconds, he smiled as if he had realized something. Harry slashed the axe in the air in the shape of an "x" and suddenly, another hole appeared, this time sucking the rats in like a vacuum. Shu tried to escape its pull, but he was too close and got sucked in like matter near a black hole. The hole disappeared, as did the rest of the rats. The numbers spinning around Lark faded, as did the axe in Harry's hand. Lark approached him, panting…

Lark returned to normal, his eyes opening.

"Is everything alright?" Ron asked, still looking concerned. Lark nodded silently. Harry opened his eyes as well.

"It was a hacker." Harry said. "One who had remote access from Crone."

"Well, I'm glad you took care of it." Ron exhaled.

Meanwhile, back on the Juiju, Shu was sitting on his knees, connected to a machine with many wires. His head hung, drool dripping from his mouth. He had shorted out and essentially gone brain dead. Jiyuu approached him, trying to see if he was still "there," confirming that he wasn't. Captain Heihozu cursed.

"Damn it!" Captain Heihozu cried.

"He is useless to us now." Yan said, approaching him. Strings as thin as hair suddenly shot out of his fingers to wrap around Shu's neck. He pulled tight. Captain Heihozu looked away …

The Aurum began to move again—and quite fast. Not too much later, they came upon a planet with eight rings. Lark gasped.

"Oh no… I made an error…" Lark said softly.

"It's okay, Lark. It's probably because of what happened earlier… Where are we?"

"My home planet! Octen!" Harper cried, his red eyes lighting up.

"Lark?"

"It's a planet, home to the Octnua. It has eight rings. It spins so slowly that there will always be one side of the planet that is completely dark. Most of the planet's population lives on the darker side, though most of its produce comes from the light side. That's all I could find…"

"Yes! Isn't it interesting?!" Harper said with enthusiasm.

"I guess we could get some gas." Ron said in a flat tone.

"Let's go to the Neon District!" Harper cried.

"Neon District found." Lark said.

"Why there?" Ron asked.

"That's where my mother lives!"

"Are you… for real?" Ron asked, letting out a laugh. "Alright, alright! Let's go!"

"Landing." Harry said, looking at Ron. Ron nodded to him, preparing the ship to land.

They arrived to the Neon District. It was a city, bright with skyscrapers, large advertisements on screens, and neon lights. It was snowing. All kinds of Octnua were on the streets, some having the same kind of barn-owl face that Harper had. Harper turned to Ron.

"Can I go see my mother?" Harper asked.

"You always have to go off somewhere, dontcha? Be back here in the evening—in the—well, I guess, in a couple of hours. After this, I'm gunna get a drink. Why don't you two explore? This time, I KNOW I have my credit card on me." Ron said, looking at Harry. Harry snickered.

As they walked, Lark shivered, being that he only had an off-the-shoulder top with his midriff showing on. Harry looked over at him, frowning. He took off his racing jacket and draped it over Lark.

"Let's get you a jacket." Harry said, holding his own arms now.

"How?" Lark asked, quirking a brow. Harry whipped Ron's credit card out. "Harry!"

"Come on. I see a place selling coats on the corner." Harry said, smiling…

Ron was waiting for the tank to fill up, it only a quarter full. He stuck his hand in his left pocket to reach for his wallet. He pulled it out and opened it up, deciding he would pay right away. He suddenly panicked as he realized that his credit card was missing. Just then, he made a face.

"Harry." Ron said, sounding extremely miffed…

Lark was now wearing a light brown leather jacket that was cut to be very slimming.

"Feeling better now?" Harry asked, smiling at him. Lark nodded. "Now, I think we should get something to eat. Something… warm."

"Well, I am a little hungry…" Lark said quietly. Harry then looked across the street, spotting a Watao restaurant. Though Harry kept on hearing about the Watao pirates, he assumed that not every Watao was a pirate. He was so hungry, he didn't care where he ate, and this place happened to catch his eye.

"Let's go here." Harry said, crossing the street. "I need to eat something other than my brother's cooking…"

"That would be nice…" Lark said, following him inside.

The two of them were sitting at the table, with two plates and a wooden bin that contained eight steaming dumplings. Harry picked one from the bin, Lark doing the same. Lark took a bite and then smiled.

"These dumplings have soup in them! They're… so tasty!" Lark said, happily eating the rest of his dumpling.

"Not even in his dreams could Ron think of making something this good." Harry chuckled. Lark laughed with him. Harry felt good making him laugh.

The two ate until there were only a couple of dumplings left. Lark's mood had become somber, as his mind was elsewhere for most of the meal. Lark looked up from his plate, over at Harry, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"I don't understand…" Lark said quietly. "What is my value?"

"Again, Lark?..." Harry said, sounding mildly frustrated. Lark's eyes darted down. Harry frowned. "Sorry… Well, Ron told me that my value is worth his life…"

"I don't know what you mean by that… What is mine then? Am I worth another's life?" Lark looked back at him.

"Well, I don't think Ron and I would want you to die…"

"Yes, but I think Ron meant 'sacrificing one's life.' I… I kind of want to be worth that much to someone." Lark said, setting his chopsticks down. Harry digested what he said before he decided to respond.

"Now that I think about it, what Ron says doesn't make sense… Isn't it natural to want to survive? When Ron explained what death is to me, I felt scared…"

"I guess you're right… but it means something when someone is willing to preserve your life by sacrificing their own… Right?"

"I'm not sure…" Harry said, sighing.

"I want someone like that… Or else what kind of value do I have?"

"Well, you certainly are desired…"

"By who?"

"The pirates."

"It's not the same!" Lark raised his voice. "It's so unfair… You have someone like Ron…"

"A brother…"

"Yes… Someone like you…"

"Well, Lark, I know that I wouldn't want you die. I'm sorry if that's not what you want to hear…"

"Actually… That is really nice to hear, now that I think about it… Maybe I am worth something after all…"

"Lark… I need to tell you something… Ron told me why the pirates are after you… It's because you ARE worth something…"

"What do you mean? Why didn't Ron tell me?" He frowned again.

"I feel like I'm betraying him by telling you this… but at the same time, I can't hide things from you… and I don't know why…" Harry sighed. Lark took Harry's hand, making him drop his chopsticks.

"I'll listen." Lark said, his gaze intensifying. Harry's bit his bottom lip.

"Okay… Like me, you were built by others. At first I didn't understand what was the difference between us and how others are created, but he said we were built… not born."

"Like those clones… I wonder… If I'm one of them… A copy…" Lark said, trailing off. His throat tightened.

"I don't think so."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you're so real to me." Harry stated. Lark's eyes widened.

"Anyway, he says you were built to specifically navigate the Aurum."

"That's… my value?"

"Well, I'm navigating the Aurum too, you know. I think it needs two of us to do it."

"Yes, but… does that mean we are no more than a navigation system for the Aurum?"

"No, it can't be…" Harry said, his eyes falling. He began to question himself.

"Well, I guess you're right. If I was, I would still be with the pirates… But now that I think about it, I remember I wouldn't let their ships move much. They would have to pilot the ship manually. I just didn't feel the same way I feel when I'm with you…"

"Ron said something about that…"

"So, why was he keeping it a secret from me?"

"I don't know… I still feel like he's keeping secrets from me now… He said something… "About the 'Galactic Leyline.'" Harry's thoughts began to rush. What had he just said? Suddenly, Lark's pupils dilated. He then passed out. Harry gasped. He immediately paid the bill and he carried Lark back to the ship, bridal style. Octnua passing by thought it was cute, commenting on it. All Harry could do was blush out of embarrassment.

Harry watched over Lark until he woke up.

"I know I shouldn't have said anything…" Harry said to himself. Lark sat up, his pupils still dilated.

"I think… I think I know… I think I know now…" Lark said, staring forward.

"Know what?"

"I was built to go to the Galactic Leyline."

"Ron never told me what it is…"

"I don't know what it is… but I know now… I do… About my purpose…" Lark's eyes returned to normal. He then began to cry. He cupped his hands over his eyes. "I'm just a machine!" Lark cried.

"No, you're not!" Harry replied.

"Then what am I?!" Harry gathered his thoughts and then took a deep breath.

"I don't think a machine can feel fear when someone chases them. I don't think a machine can dance when it sees flying fish. I don't think a machine can enjoy ice cream. I don't think a machine can question its worth. We have to be more than what others tell us." Harry said, moving his hands away from his face. Lark blushed lightly, as did Harry as they looked into each other's eyes. Ron suddenly cleared his throat. Lark pulled away.

"Hey, bonehead. You took my card again, didn't you?"

"Yes, Ron. How else were we going to eat?" Harry replied as he composed himself.

"Well, I bought some groceries. I was going to cook something up before I head to the bar."

"Well, Ron, we're full now."

"So is the ship. Now, give me my damn card." Ron said, holding out his hand. Harry took it out of his pocket and handed it over. Harper then entered the ship, looking exhausted. Ron looked over at him.

"What happened to you?" Ron asked. Harper let out a sigh.

"I went to visit my mother. And she told me about how I don't visit her enough."

"You probably don't." Ron said, snickering.

"I'm my own man now!"

"So, do you want me to cook you something? I'm sure you're hungry from the lecture you probably received."

"She yelled at me. Then, she made me dinner."

"Well, shit! What did I buy groceries for?!" Ron cried. Harry snickered.

"Another time." Harry said.

"That's it. I'm going to the bar." Ron left. Lark suddenly seized Harry's hand.

"Thank you, Harry." Lark said sweetly. Harry gently rubbed his thumb across the palm of Lark's hand.


	10. Episode 9

Episode IX: Adventure on Shar: Part I

"Welcome to Daser City, everyone! Home to the most saloons on the entire planet!" Ron said with arms open wide.

Everyone looked around at the orange skies and the series of buildings separated by a large, open road. In a way, Daser City resembled Locust City on Sentinel III. However, it had more of a rustic look to it and it was surrounded by an endless desert. Water was highly valued and drinks were even more expensive, being that most of the water came from underground, and most breweries were connected to large biodomes.

"My quest is to find the best bar in this city!" Ron said, putting his hands on his hips. Harry imitated him.

"So?" Harry quirked a brow.

"Well, it's no fun going alone, so, Harry, you're coming with me!"

"What?! Why?!"

"Oh come on, Harry! Stop being a stick in the mud!"

"What does that even mean?" Harry said, looking over to Lark. Lark shrugged.

"It means to be set in one's ways." Harper added.

"Exactly! And how fun is that?" Ron took Harry by the arm. Harry pouted.

"Ron. Can I get a new pot for my flower?" Lark asked, looking up at him.

"Sure! I can spare a few credits! Don't worry about it!"

"Am I the only one working here?" Harper interjected.

"What are you doing exactly?"

"Trying to keep the ship in tip-top shape, that's what. I need more tools."

"Well, go ahead then! Come on, Harry! Let's go!"

"Fine." Harry said under his breath. Harper and Lark took turns using a directory and all of them parted separate ways.

Lark had made it to a flower shop and was browsing through a group of ceramic pots made of Sharnese clay. He smiled, running his fingertips along them. They were certainly crafted with care. Lark chose a small auburn pot and went to pay for it at the counter. Soon, he was exiting the flower shop, heading back to the ship when a woman seized him by the arm. She had long, red hair, dark eyes under a pair of shades, and red lipstick to match. She was wearing a long, grey Victorian long sleeved jacket with ruffles, over a dark olive green tank top with an ivy leaf pattern. She was also wearing a short, white miniskirt and black leather cowboy boots.

"Why, hello there. What's your name?" The woman asked. She spoke in a Charnese accent, similar to what Terrans referred to as a "southern accent."

"Um… It's Lark." He answered, blushing lightly. She was certainly attractive.

"Oh, such a unique name! It's so pure!"

"Pure?"

"My name is Pearl Hart! And I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with pretty ol' me! I'm Pearl! Pearl Hart!"

"Huh? Well, I'm not very hungry—"

"I promise I'll take you somewhere good." She said, smiling. Lark smiled back.

"Alright." Lark agreed. They walked side by side.

Meanwhile, Harry was laughing with Ron, both of their faces flushed.

"And he did what? Dip a fly into his tea?!"

"That's right! He said he likes his 'sweets!'"

"Oh my god! That's too much! Hahaha!" Harry laughed loudly, unable to contain himself. He wasn't sure why he found it so funny. What did he know about insects?

"Hey, Harry?" Ron looked over at him.

"Yeah, Ron?"

"You've always, and, I mean, always made me wonder what it's like to be naked in a ship."

"It's so cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And it's really cool when Lark is there. It's like… I'm not alone." Harry let out a sigh.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So…" Harry pushed his empty glass aside. "Can I have another one of those… Mojito things?"

"It'll be your third one! Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Hell yeah!"

Elsewhere, Lark was poking at the Sharnese porkchop that had been placed in front of him.

"What is this?" Lark asked.

"It's a porkchop! I thought you would like it!" Pearl said, giggling.

"It's so thick…"

"Are you questioning my choice?" Her tone became firm. Lark suddenly felt nervous.

"No, no. I'm sorry…" Lark said, beginning to cut himself a piece.

"Good! So, how did you come here? Are you a tourist?"

"No, but I think my friend might be… He came here to visit the bars." Lark answered.

"Oh? You have a friend?"

"A couple, I think. Well, they're really nice to me…"

"Not as nice as they could be."

"What do you mean?"

"They left you by yourself, didn't they?"

"Well, I wanted to get this pot for my flower…" Lark said, his eyes dropping down to the pot in his lap.

"They could have come with you. If it were me, I wouldn't abandon you like that. Do you think they're going to leave you behind on this old dustbowl?"

"Leave me behind? I mean, I don't think so. After I got the flower pot, I was just going to go back to the ship…"

"I knew it!" Pearl cried.

"Know what?"

"Don't you see? What if you went back and the ship wasn't there, huh? They're not like me. I'll never leave your side." She said. Lark made a face, looking a little unsettled.

"I think I should go… Thank you for the meal…" Lark said, standing up.

"Right now, I have my gun under the table, pointing at your knee. You're not going to leave me, are you, angel?" She threatened. Lark slowly sat back down. "Now, eat! Eat! You'll feel better if you eat..."

Harper passed by the restaurant, looking for the tool shop, seeing the two of them through the window. He stopped for a moment, shrugged, and then continued on.

Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were drinking at another bar—a more mature bar—with flashing lights.

"Why is she swinging around a pole?" Harry said, trying to contain his laughter.

"I don't know. I never thought about that until now. Why do they swing around poles?"

"Don't ask me, Ron. I don't know about any of this stuff."

"Well, it's sexy. That's all that matters." Ron said, chuckling.

"Yeah?" Harry said, quirking a brow.

"Yeah."

"Hey, Ron."

"Yeah?"

"You think Lark is okay? On his own and everything?" Harry asked. Ron paused.

"He's a young man. He's just getting a flower pot. He'll probably go back to the ship."

"Okay…" Harry paused, looking down at his drink. "So, what's this drink called?"

"It's a Cosmopolitan Martini." Ron answered, smiling again.

"It's good. I think I'll have another." Harry snickered. Ron raised a brow.

"Alright, Harry. Whatever you say..."

Meanwhile, Lark and Pearl were walking together, arm in arm. They passed by a jewelry shop, which Pearl immediately took him inside. She began to look at the selection, focusing on the rings. She asked the jeweler to try one on. He took it out of the glass case, and put it in her hand. She then held it out to Lark.

"Put it on my finger." She commanded. Lark, looking a tad confused, slipped it on. She then looked at her hand, blushing.

"Diamonds and garnets… Lark? See this ring? This ring is like a promise. It's saying that everyday you'll want to wake up next to the same person every day, for a very long time… Maybe someone like pretty ol' me?" Lark made a face again. "Have you ever dreamed of something like that?"

"It might be nice to give someone something like that someday, I guess…"

"Will you buy it for me?"

"Huh? I used all of my allotment on the flower pot…" Lark said, looking down at his pot again.

"I don't believe you, but I'll wait." She yanked him by the arm and pulled him out of the store, making him drop his pot. It shattered instantly. Lark stopped to look at the remains.

"My flower pot…" Lark said softly.

"Just leave it alone." Pearl said, sounding miffed.

Ron and Harry were at another bar, and this time, they were both wearing black cowboy hats.

"This is moonshine? Wow!" Harry said, setting his empty glass down.

"It's my personal favorite! Moonshine is the beverage of kings!" Ron exclaimed. Just then, Harper joined them, also wearing a cowboy hat.

"Ah! Look who came to join us! Came to live a little?" Ron said, looking over at Harper.

"Yeah. Now that I'm done buying some tools, I thought I'd come here. I had no idea you would be here."

"Coincidence."

"Have you seen Lark?" Harry asked, looking up at Harper. Harper sat down.

"Yes, actually. He was eating out with this beautiful woman. She had this long, red hair and these big cans."

"Really? No way! I never knew Lark was such a ladykiller!" Ron said with a large grin. "I've gotta see this. Well, I think I'm done drinking for the night anyway." Ron said, standing up.

"I'm going to get a drink or two. Mechanics need to rest too…" Harper said, ordering a beer.

"I'll come with you, Ron." Harry said, standing up. He then covered his mouth. "After… I'm done throwing up!" Harry said, running to the bathroom.

"For real, Harry?!" Ron cried out of frustration. He followed him.

Hunched over, Harry vomited into the toilet while Ron held his hair.

"You're a real friend, Ron." Harry said, coughing.

"Yeah, yeah." Ron said, looking a little embarrassed.

"So, this is what happens when you drink?" Harry asked.

"Well, if you drink too much like you did, ya lush." Ron said, sighing.

"How awful!" Harry said, tying his hair.

Soon, Harry and Ron were walking the streets.

"Harper said that the restaurant was around here. I can't wait to spy on him!" Ron said excitedly.

"You're acting weird, Ron." Harry commented. Suddenly, the two of them spotted the couple entering a "couple's bar." Ron froze. He then looked over at Harry.

"Oh no. I'm not going in there." Ron said, looking uneasy.

"Why?"

"It's a couple's bar!" Ron cried.

"But don't you want to see that woman?"

"Yes… but I also don't want to be seen with another man."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Ron thought to himself and looked around, suddenly spotting a small clothing shop.

"Wait. I've got an idea." Ron said, dragging Harry into said clothing shop.

Soon, the MacDougall brothers were entering the bar… except Harry was dressed in women's clothing. He was wearing a black t-shirt with silver studs in the pattern of a large star across the chest. He had a long sleeved denim jacket and a short, frilled denim skirt to match. Under the skirt, he wore black leggings. He also had on white cowboy boots with pink hearts on the heels, which matched his frosted, pink lipstick. Harry was looking pretty peeved as he stood next to Ron.

"So, got a table for me and my girl?" Ron said to the host, putting an arm around Harry. Harry glared down at the floor.

"This somehow doesn't feel right…" Harry whispered. He then looked back up at Ron, glaring at him.

"She doesn't like waiting. So, are we going to be seated or what?" Ron said, looking for a table.

They were seated at a table near the booth Pearl and Lark were sitting in. Ron ogled over her, watching her.

"How in the world did Lark nail a woman like that?" Ron asked, letting out a sigh.

"Well, you're pretty abrasive. Maybe she likes someone a little gentler." Harry said, smirking.

"You shut your mouth, Harr—Harriet."

"'Harriet?' What kind of name is—?"

"Shut up. I want to watch." Ron said. Harry turned around to watch them.

"Lark doesn't look so good." Harry commented.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, still in a daze.

"His face. Look."

Lark was looking down into his drink.

"Drink up, angel. You'll like the Absinthe Cocktail." Pearl said, taking a sip from her own.

"I don't want to… It smells funny…" Lark said softly.

"'Smells funny?' What do you mean?"

"I just don't like how it smells…" Lark replied.

"I thought you weren't going to question my choices anymore, Lark." Pearl said in a firm tone.

"I-I'm sorry…" Lark said, eyes falling.

Harry looked back over at Ron.

"I thought Lark didn't like alcohol. At least, that's what he told me the last time we were in a bar together…" Harry said quietly.

"I didn't think so either." Ron whispered back.

Pearl took Lark's glass into her hand and offered it to him.

"Drink, baby. Drink." Pearl said, smiling.

"No!" Lark cried, standing up. He got out of the booth, glaring at her. Pearl pulled out her gun again.

"Don't make me the bad guy." She said, gently resting her finger on the trigger.

"I think he's in trouble." Ron said, looking over at the two of them. Harry turned around and gasped, seeing the gun.

"He needs us." Harry said, getting up. Harry grabbed Lark by the arm.

"Back off, hussy. He doesn't want to drink." Harry said with one hand on his hip.

"'Hussy?'" Pearl rose to her feet. "How dare you call me that, and in front of my angel?!"

"Your angel?" Harry quirked a brow. He looked over at Lark, who was frowning at this point.

"Oh. I see now. You must be one of those friends of his. Are you his… girlfriend?" She asked, smirking cockily. Harry flushed from embarrassment.

"No!"

"Then sit back down!" Pearl shouted. The other couples turned around to watch the scene. Ron stood up now, pointing his gun at Pearl.

"I don't like pointing a gun at a pretty woman, such as yourself, but I don't like guns being pointed at me and my own either."

"Hm. I see, I see… Well, then. I'll be taking my leave." She said, in an unsettlingly calm voice. Pearl suddenly whipped herself around to shoot the fuse box by the kitchen door and the lights went out. She grabbed Lark, pushing Harry off to the side, and ran out with him. Ron shot up at the ceiling to light up the scene for a second and saw them leaving. Pearl jumped into her red cruiser in front of the bar and took off with Lark. Suddenly, a silver cruiser pulled up with Gallagher in it. Gallagher, who was merely taking advantage of the parking spot, was about to get out of the car when he saw Ron run out with his gun. Harry was behind him.

"Gallagher?" Ron said, looking surprised.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Gallagher asked, looking a bit confused. He looked at Harry and snickered. Harry pouted.

"Could ask you the same." Ron replied. "Gallagher, I need your ride."

"Hey, if you need it, I'm driving." Gallagher replied. "Too many cruiser thefts here."

"Fine. Follow that red cruiser."

"Why?"

"Lark's been kidnapped." Ron said. The MacDougall brothers hopped in and the chase began. As she was driving, Pearl turned around to shoot back at the trio, bullets bouncing off Gallagher's cruiser.

"It's a good thing she has shitty aim." He said, firing back at her. "I recognize that cruiser. That's owned by the infamous outlaw Pearl Hart."

"Who is she?" Ron asked, trying to shoot her as well.

"She's a cruiser thief—and, as usual, a murderer. She likes to kill men."

"I see…"

"She's worth a lot of money, dead or alive actually. I hope you don't mind me claiming the reward?"

"Go for it." Ron said.

While Pearl wasn't looking, Lark grabbed the steering wheel of the cruiser and crashed it into a large cactus. A bit disoriented, he climbed out of the wreck and tried to escape, but Pearl pointed her gun and shot him, the bullet grazing his neck. Lark fell to his knees, his hand on the wound. When he moved his hands away to look at them, they were covered in blood. He then felt the mouth of her gun rest on the back of his head.

"You're just like all of the other angels. It's so sad to see them die. I'm sorry, Lark… If I can't have you, no one can." Ron, Harry, and Gallagher arrived, quickly hopping out of the cruiser. Gallagher, being a quickdraw, took out his gun, when Harry suddenly grabbed it. He then pointed it and shot Pearl straight in the head, her gun going off into the sky as she fell. The three of them looked at Harry in complete shock. Harry slowly lowered his arm and gave the gun back to Gallagher. He then ran over to Lark, crouching.

"Good aim…" Ron said quietly, still in shock.

"Blood…" Harry said, nose wrinkling.

"It stings…" Lark said, hissing through his teeth.

"I'll handle it from here, guys. Oof, what a mess." Gallagher commented, walking over to Pearl's dead body. Harry took Lark's bloodstained hand and helped him get to his feet.

"Dead or alive, right?" Ron said casually.

"Dead." Harry said in a deadpan tone.

"Let's get you to a clinic or something." Ron said, looking over to Lark; he was already over the beauty's death.

"I couldn't do anything…" Lark said, frowning.

"I don't think it's that…" Harry said, frowning now. His stoic expression had left him. His mind quickly played a series of images of him presenting flowers to Melfina and him throwing them on the floor in front of her when she turned him down. He felt disgusted with himself. "It's just… sometimes people fall into the hands of cold people… and they don't know what to do when something really special comes along…" He said, wondering where these words came from. Lark flushed for a second.

"Harry… Why did you do it?" Lark asked, referring to him shooting Pearl. Now, Harry went quiet. "Harry?"

"What is it, Lark?" Harry said, still lost in his thoughts.

"Why are you wearing lipstick?" Lark asked, genuinely confused. Harry looked over at Ron, glaring. Ron shrugged, smiling. Harry wiped the lipstick off with his sleeve.

"Stop right there, MacDougall brothers!" A young voice cried. The three of them turned around to see a small girl—about 5'3"—pointing at them. She was fair with long, forest green hair tied back into pigtails. She had large, dark green eyes. She was wearing a short, black and silver Watao Qipao.

"Who in the world are you?" Ron asked.

"I am the famous ex-Watao space pirate Melody Malo, daughter of the famous Watao space pirate Xiaowei! You're probably very impressed right now, but I ask of you to not bow until I finish what I have to say!"

"Hooboy. And what do you have to say, cricket?"

"'Cricket?!' My name is Melody Malo!"

"Is that even your real name?"

"It's not your name, so it's none of your business!"

"Whatever, cricket."

"Anyway! I have come here to let you know that I will be taking command of the Aurum and you will be my crew!"

"Listen, I don't have time to play pretend!"

"And as the leader," Melody continued, "I command all of you to board your ship and take me back to Watao!"

"Back to Watao?" Harry looked over at Ron, making a face.

"Yes! Melody has been here far too long for her liking!"

"So, why are you here if you don't like it?" Harry asked.

"Well… My ship… Blew up." Melody answered, looking a little embarrassed.

"And how did that happen?" Ron asked, snickering.

"Don't question me! That's insubordination!"

"Can we help her?" Lark said softly.

"What?! I'm not a kindergarten, Lark." Ron answered.

"F-Y-I, I am 19 years old! Don't let my youthful beauty fool you!"

"Okay, cricket. Well, that wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't being chased by Watao pirates."

"I know. I've heard all about it. The famous 'golden ship and the doll!' All the pirates know about it now!" Melody said with pride. Ron looked like he was about to lose it.

"What?!"

"Well, all of the important ones, anyway. But I'm an ex-Watao pirate! So, I am no longer affiliated with those jerks!"

"Okay?"

"So, I, Melody Malo, as your new leader, once again command you to take me to Watao! In exchange, I will help you!"

"How so, cricket?" Ron said, smiling.

"My father was the famous Watao space pirate Xiaowei! You've heard of him, right? Being that you're the famous MacDougall brothers…" She trailed off. Ron and Harry shook their heads.

"What?! Well, your heads must have been stuck in the sand! Anyway, I can help you! The Watao pirates don't know that I have left them, so I have access to all kinds of secrets! How else would I know about you?"

"Alright. But what if the Watao pirates find our ship, huh? What good is your gossip going to do us then?"

"Don't worry—I'm pretty resourceful. Just help a girl out, okay?" She said, sounding a little desperate now. Ron looked over at Harry and Lark. Lark nodded gingerly, trying not to hurt his neck.

"Okay. But know that I'll shoot you if you try to mess with my ship." Ron said to her, wagging his finger. "Anyway, before we get going, we have to get Lark here to a clinic."

"Oh! I know one! Follow me!" Melody said, marching forward. "Also, one question!"

"What?" Ron said, sounding exhausted now.

"Why is your brother dressed like a girl?" Melody said, giggling.

"I'm changing at the clinic." Harry said, pouting.


	11. Episode 10

Episode X: Now Leaving Shar: Part II

The brown Watao pirate ship, the Juiju, landed near the southern outskirts of Daser City. The wind was blowing gently across the desert. Yan exited the ship, his long white hair flowing behind him. He silently walked across the sand-covered roads to a bar called "Last Chance Gulch" and sat down right at the counter. The bartender noticed that he was blindfolded. With a brow quirked, he asked him what he wanted and Yan simply requested red wine. The bartender wondered why he would order wine at a bar, but didn't care because he was going to pour him the most expensive one he had in stock. As soon as Yan heard the wine fill the bottom of the glass, he seized his hand.

"I don't like being tricked. Give me the red wine behind you instead." Yan said. The bartender froze. He moved the glass away, pulled out another, and poured him a glass of the cheaper red wine that had been sitting on the shelf.

"Are you really blind or is this some kind of gimmick?" the bartender said, in a bit of a bad mood now. Yan didn't answer him and instead took a sip of his drink. Yan then begin to reminisce, recalling a memory from twenty years ago…

Yan lived in a grand home in the Silk District on planet Watao. He was about six years old, walking to the park near his house. His father was away on a business trip and his mother was visiting a sick friend of hers, so he was left alone for the day. Yan, dressed in a silver, silk robe and wooden sandals, entered the park, immediately heading for the swings. He ran through the sand, excitedly, and sat down, gripping the chains hanging the seat. Suddenly, he was pushed off of the swing, falling onto his face. He wiped at his light blue eyes, tearing up as he tried to get the sand out. Behind him was a larger kid, grinning down at him. Yan slowly rose to his feet, only to be pushed down again by the larger kid. Yan turned himself around to sit on the sand and look up at the kid.

"Wow! You look like you have the eyes of a demon!" The larger kid said. Yan bit his lip.

"A demon?"

"Yeah! You should be cast away with the New Year!" The larger kid laughed. Other children at the park stopped playing to watch the scene. Yan looked around to see everyone looking at him, starting to pant. A little girl screamed.

"He has demon eyes!" She cried.

"N-no! I'm not a demon!" Yan cried. Suddenly, he felt his right sandal being yanked off. Yan looked at his foot and then up at the larger kid, who was now dangling his sandal.

"I'll take this! Run home now, demon! To hell!" The larger kid said. Yan scrambled to his feet and began to run, but the larger kid followed him, hitting him with the sandal until he left the park. Yan kept on running until his other sandal broke. He took it off and held it, running home barefoot.

When he came home, his mother was waiting for him. His mother looked at him, realizing that he was dirty and holding one of his sandals in his arms. His mother bent down, looking concerned.

"What did you do?" She said. Yan's eyes fell.

"I went to the park… The other kids called me a demon…"

"I told you to never go to the park alone!" She cried. She then gently wiped some sand from his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Yan. How about you take a bath and I'll make you some mooncakes?" Yan's eyes filled with tears. He ran upstairs and ran straight to his room, locking the door. He sat on his knees and reached under his bed, pulling out a book with the title of "Dark Watao Magic." He flipped through the pages, reading. His mother came knocking at the door, but Yan didn't answer. She decided she would leave him be and leave a plate of freshly baked mooncakes at his door. Yan read the book, deep into the night, until he fell asleep at sunrise.

That day, his mother was away again. Yan changed out of his dirty clothes and exited his room, walking past the plate of mooncakes. It was hot outside and he was barefoot, but he didn't care; he wanted to go to the park. Yan looked around, not seeing the bully he saw yesterday, and let out a sigh of relief. He then sat down on a swing and began to swing back and forth. He smiled and kicked his feet in the air. Suddenly, he saw the larger kid enter the park. He panicked and jumped off the swing. The larger kid spotted him and immediately began chasing him. Yan was fast, but not fast enough to escape. The larger kid cornered him against the fence of the park.

"Die, demon! You don't belong in this world!" The larger kid said. "I see you don't have any shoes, so I'm just going to have to beat you with my hands!" The kid laughed as he approached him. Yan began to nervously chant to himself. The larger kid froze. "What are you babbling about?"

"Banjiyuu, minen da shin shien…" Yan said over and over. Suddenly, his hands began to glow.

"You really are a demon!" The larger kid said. He then went to punch Yan when suddenly, long, hair-thin strings came out from his fingers, wrapping around the larger kid. They bound him tight, strings squeezing his neck. Yan moved his fingers, making sure that his fist wouldn't move any further. The larger kid's face began to flush red until his head suddenly dropped. The strings retracted, releasing him, and the larger kid fell to the ground. The other children had been watching, horrified. Yan looked around him, looking scared. Just what had he done? A kid screamed.

"He's a demon! A demon!" The children ran from him, running out of the park. Yan looked down at the larger kid's dead body, studying it for a bit. His eyes suddenly widened and he ran home as fast as he could. He then ran upstairs to his room and took a sash from one of his robes. He quietly crept to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, beginning to cry. He then slowly wrapped the sash around his eyes, tying it in the back.

That night, he had been told by the authorities that his mother had died on her way home from a heart attack. His father tried to comfort Yan remotely—on the phone—but Yan rejected it and hung up on him. Instead, he went back to his room, reading the "Dark Watao Magic" book, smiling…

Then came another memory of him when he was twenty. He was bowing before a large pair of boots in the dark. Just then, a pair of hands offered a caster staff to Yan, Yan taking it into his own. A deep voice spoke.

"YOU ARE A PRODIGY, YAN, AND BECAUSE OF THIS, I WILL BE ASSIGNING YOU TO THE SON OF CAPTAIN HEIHOZU , HEIHOZU ERZI."

"Yes, my lord…" Yan said firmly, eyes low.

"HAZANKO HAS FAILED. YOUR MISSION IS TO FIND THE DOLL. GO NOW."

"Yes, my lord…" Yan said, standing up. He bowed and turned to leave…

"Someone's going to die tomorrow." Yan said to the bartender, who was cleaning some glasses. Yan took another sip, savoring it before he swallowed.

That night, the crew of the Aurum was staying in a hotel. Ron, Harper, and Melody were in one room.

"I don't trust you! You better keep your dirty hands off of me!" Melody said, glaring at Ron.

"I'm not interested in children." He said, hands on his hips.

"I'm not a child! You're just a dirty old man!"

"Dirty old man?! You know what?! Forget it! I'm going to bed."

"I want to sleep with Harper. He's fluffy." Melody said, turning to him. Harper cocked his head.

"'Fluffy?'" Harper said, looking down at himself.

"Yes! With all of those pretty feathers!"

"I guess I am…" Harper laughed, letting out a small screech. Suddenly, a pillow flew right into his face.

"Shut up." Ron said, his face down into a pillow. Harper glared at him and then got into the other bed.

In the other room was Harry and Lark, sharing one large bed. The room was dark and they were both lying on their sides, facing each other.

"I was so scared…" Lark said quietly. "I felt like she wanted me like I was some kind of… well, not a person." Harry frowned.

"Sometimes there are people like that… In fact… Well, can I tell you something, Lark? It all came back to me when I shot Pearl. It's why I couldn't say anything right away…" Harry's eyes fell.

"I'll listen." Lark said, taking one of his hands into his.

"You're shaking…" Harry commented.

"I'm sorry…" Lark apologized.

"Don't be." Harry said. He paused and then let out a big sigh. "Lark. I was once like Pearl Hart." Lark's eyes widened.

"I had an obsession with a woman named Melfina. She was the one you saw on Pewter VI—the one that looked like you… I wanted her because I thought she was like me—different from others… And because of that, I thought we belonged together…"

"Is that why you like me? Because I am like her?" Lark said, his throat tightening.

"No… It's more than that…I mean—" Harry blushed a bit. "When I'm with you, I actually feel a connection. There was no kind of connection between Melfina and I, and it was wrong of me to try to think there was one…" Harry's eyes began to tear up. "I wanted her so bad…" Lark went silent. He felt conflicted about everything. Could he really believe him? His tears certainly told him that he was tormenting himself. "Lark… I don't know how you could be kind to me… Especially after what I've just told you… I'm not a good person…" Harry said, tears running down his cheeks. Lark said nothing as he reached up to wipe away one of Harry's tears with his thumb.

"I think… You're different now… and that you deserve kindness, just like everyone else…" Lark said, gently smiling at him. This only made Harry cry harder. Lark then put his arm around his neck and pulled close, burying his nose into Harry's shoulder. Harry's eyes widened and he fell silent. Lark was so close to him now. He could feel his warm breaths falling onto his skin. Harry began to feel a different emotion; sadness had melted away. Instead, he felt "warm." He closed his eyes, squeezing out a couple more tears, and began to fall asleep…

The next day, Melody was marching to the ship.

"March, everyone! We have a long trip ahead of us!" Melody said as she approached the Aurum. "I can't wait to get to Watao! All of you have to try the latest Watao fashions out!" Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the main door to the ship. It was Yan, standing with his staff.

"Give me the boy and I will make your death a silent one." Yan said, walking forward. Ron took out his gun.

"Everyone, get in the ship." Ron commanded.

"No! I'm the captain!" Melody shouted, getting into a defensive position.

"Your funeral."

Ron began to shoot at Yan, who began running to dodge his shots. Lark opened the door and the three of them ran inside. Melody observed Ron and Yan silently. When Ron got him far away enough from the ship, he opened his jacket up to reveal his caster staff strapped to his side. Yan took off his blindfold, revealing a pair of light blue eyes with rectangular pupils. Ron took his staff out and swung it, immediately shooting a ball of energy at Yan. Yan slammed the base of his staff on the ground, creating a barrier. The ball of energy bounced off and hit a cactus, causing it to shrivel instantly. Ron cursed.

"I just gotta catch him off guard then!" Ron thought to himself. Yan shot out his own ball of energy, leaving him open for an attack, but Ron made a barrier instead. Ron grinned. Yan made a face and the two of them resumed fighting. Yan slowly made sure to get closer to Ron until he could chant a spell.

"Mingyun de qin xian!" Yan cried. Suddenly, hair-thin strings came out of his fingers and wrapped around Ron, binding him tight. Ron began to make choking noises as the ones around his throat began to press hard against his voice box. "Die quietly now." Yan said softly. Just then, a small voice called behind him.

"Eat my sixes!" The voice said. Yan turned around to see Melody aiming two bronze caster revolvers at him. She shot him, the bullets turning into powder once they hit his back. Yan chuckled.

"Cute." Yan said. Suddenly, the strings coming out of his fingers released Ron and bound Yan instead, slowly squeezing him tight. Melody smiled cockily. "Number six: reverse spell shell." Yan glared at Melody in silence until his own strings squeezed his final breath from him; he fell over. Ron looked at Melody, surprised.

"Well, thanks, Cricket! How did you get those things?" Ron said, eyes on her caster revolvers.

"A gift from dad on Qixi!" Melody said, giggling.

Ron and Melody joined everyone else on the ship.

"Welp, he's gone now, so it's time to go!" Melody said in a chipper tone.

Once they left Shar's orbit, Melody walked around. She blushed when she saw Harry and Lark in their navigation tubes.

"You're both naked!" She cried.

"Yes? And?" Harry said, his voice coming through the speaker on the ship.

"How did you talk without your lips moving?!"

"It's just how it works." Harry said, sighing.

She then sat on the dashboard next to Ron. She was smiling at him.

"I don't think you really meant it when you thanked me earlier." She said, kicking her feet.

"Cricket, don't get cute with me." Ron said, quirking a brow. Melody imitated his face.

"Cricket, don't get cute with me." Melody said, mocking him.

"And get off the dashboard." Ron ordered.

"And get off the dashboard."

"Cricket!"

"CRICKET!" She yelled, beginning to giggle. Ron sighed and then smiled. "So, are you going to see your father on Watao?"

"My father went to join the Kei pirates a couple of years ago. I'm sure he'll be back any day now." She said. Ron's smile left him. He couldn't help but to assume the worst, but he wouldn't tell her that. Suddenly, an alarm went off. A picture of the Juiju appeared on the main screen.

"What the? Who is that?" Ron looked up at the screen.

"They're getting really close…" Lark said.

"It looks like they're trying to send a transmission. Main screen turn on." Harry said, the screen changing to a picture of Captain Heihozu.

"Ha ha ha! Thought you could elude me again, didn't you, Aurum?!" He said.

"Surrender the Aurum and I'll let you all live… just kidding! Ha ha ha!"

"This guy sure laughs a lot…" Harry said.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I can take you seriously… especially with that big hair of yours." Ron said, snickering.

"It's a pompadour and very much so a popular hairstyle! Now, hand over the Aurum! And the doll!"

"Why is he calling me a doll?" Lark said, sounding a little upset.

"That's just what the pirates have nicknamed you. Dunno why since you look very real to me." Melody said. She then jumped up, looking as if she realized something. She pointed at the screen. "Wait a second! Heihozu Erzi, is that you?! The coward?" Melody cried.

"How do you know my first name?!" Captain Heihozu cried. "Who are you?!"

"I am Melody Malo, daughter of the famous space pirate Xiaowei! And you are son of Heihozu Fuqin!"

"'Xiaowei?' Who is that?" Captain Heihozu said, sounding genuinely curious.

"Grr! I order you to off this guy!" Melody commanded.

"Sounds like a plan. I like your style, Melody." Ron said, smiling.

"Like you can! If I have to cut you up a bit, I'll do it! You have no choice—I mean—chance to survive! So, make your time! Niyuu, Jiyuu! Prepare for combat!" Captain Heihozu ordered, the transmission ending. Just then, an image of the Juiju appeared on the screen again. Four arms emerged, holding large _Dao _swords in its hands.

"Weapons?" Lark said, eyes widening.

"Shit! Combat mode engage!" Ron shouted, two throttles rising in front of him. "Harry! Gunna need your help on this one!"

"We'll do our best!" Harry responded.

The Juiju approached, ready to attack. The Aurum's grappler arms banged their fists together.

"Come at me!" Ron said, rushing towards them. The thrusters of the Juiju pushed itself back and swung one of its blades in an attempt to cut one of the Aurum's arms with the tip of its blade. It missed, since Harry quickly activated the thrusters to push themselves back in time. The Juiju then rushed at the Aurum, but Lark made the thrusters push the Aurum back out of its range.

"Stay still!" Captain Heihozu cried as the Juiju wildly swung its blades at them.

"What are we going to do?! Lark, we can't keep on running!" Harry cried.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Lark yelled.

"We'll overheat the engine if we keep this up!" Harper warned.

"Then you know what we need to do. Harry, Lark. Let's go." The Aurum made a sudden stop and rolled to dodge the Juiju. The Juiju stopped and turned itself around to face the Aurum. The two of them rushed at each other and clashed, the Aurum grabbing the fists of the Juiju. The Juiju continued to push itself forward, the Aurum struggling to keep them from swinging its blades. Ron was sweating, pushing the throttles hard.

"They're going to slice our arms off!" Melody cried.

"Damn it!" Ron said through his teeth. Lark's eyes widened. Suddenly, both navigational tubes sunk down into the ship. Ron looked back, looking alarmed. "What the hell just happened?! Harry?! Lark?!" Ron then turned around to focus on holding the Juiju's fists. Suddenly, the hands of the Aurum swung the Juiju aside, throwing it off balance. The Aurum then began to turn from gold to white. All of the buttons on the dashboards glowed bright. Ron let go of the thrusters, panting. Just then, the wings of the Aurum opened, showing off some fin-like webbing between each part.

"What in the world?!" Captain Heihozu fell back. He then scrambled to his feet, heading for the escape pods. Suddenly, two waves of bright blue energy formed in front of the wings of the Aurum, and with a flap of the wings, the energy was flung at the Juiju. They both hit the Juiju's engine, causing it to explode. Ron, Harper, and Melody watched the explosion expand. Without Ron doing anything, the Aurum pushed itself back and out of reach of the explosion. Once it faded, revealing the wreckage, Ron, Harper, and Melody cheered. The navigational tubes rose up again.

In the digital world, Harry and Lark were holding hands. They had white halos above their heads, which slowly faded away.

"That was strange…" Harry said, confused.

"That was AWESOME!" Harper cried.

"No matter why the pirates want this baby!" Ron said, laughing. "Can't help but to feel bad for that clumsy pompadour guy!"

"I don't think any pirates know about a ship having a move like that!" Melody said, jumping up and down.

"The ship has changed color…" Lark said calmly.

"Maybe the ship went into some kind of… 'overdrive mode?'" Harper suggested.

"Well, whatever it is, it'll sure help disguise the ship, I guess…" Ron caught his breath. "So, guys, I was thinking… Maybe we should try to find out more about the Aurum on Watao. I learned that this was the planet where the Aurum was built, so there isn't a better place to look. Now that it's doing all these kind of crazy things, I feel like we need to know what it's capable of."

"I'm sure I can help you with that! But there's one thing!" Melody said, looking at Ron.

"What's that, Cricket?"

"Well, the ship may be in disguise, but you should too, and I know just how to do that!" Melody said with a grin.

"And why are you helping us? I just thought you wanted a ride?"

"Because I love shopping!" Melody said, giggling. Ron almost fell over.

Meanwhile, the escape pod crashed on Watao. Captain Heihozu got out, stumbling to his feet. He walked up to a large palace, going inside after a couple of guards spoke with him.

Captain Heihozu was standing in a black room, a single spotlight on him.

"My lord! You must forgive me! They… they blew up my ship!" Captain Heihozu whined, sinking to his knees. A deep voice responded.

"YOU HAVE FAILED ME, HEIHOZU. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING I CAN PROMISE YOU AND THAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE YOUR OWN LIFE."

"Wh-what?!" Captain Heihozu said, wiping his snotty nose.

"IF YOU CAN ESCAPE MY PALACE, YOU MAY LIVE. OTHERWISE, I BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN…"

Captain Heihozu immediately jumped to his feet. Suddenly, a ball of energy was thrown out of the darkness at him. Captain Heihozu jumped back, whimpering, and began to run, running out of the spotlight.


	12. Episode 11

Just a warning: There will be heterosexual and homosexual relations in this chapter. Please do not write any heterophobic or homophobic reviews.

Episode XI: Who Am I?

Melody was standing by the stove in the small kitchen in the Aurum, trying to cook some spicy pork and cabbage soup. She was looking at the cabbage, looking determined.

"I'm going to do this!" Melody held her finger up and began to chant. "Juanxincai! Baozha!" Her finger glowed and suddenly, the cabbage exploded in her face, covering her face in ash. "Crap… Was it Baozha or Qie? Oh well…" Melody sighed. Ron passed her by, chuckling. He then sat down in the pilot's seat.

"We need to get to that Watao lab that built the Aurum." Ron said. After wiping her face, Melody came over, sitting on the dashboard. Ron shot her a glare and she shrugged, not caring about the fact that it irked him.

"There's only one lab on Watao. Most research is done in schools. The lab is called Haixing Lab."

"'Haixing Lab?'' Harry repeated as he dried his hair.

"Yes! 'Starfish Lab!'" Melody said cheerfully. "I've never seen a starfish myself, but I hear they live in the ocean…"

"Just like the lab on Rynex…" Ron said softly. Harry and Ron looked at each other and then over at Lark. Lark looked away, pretending he was occupied with watering his flower.

"Well, if we're going to get into the lab, we have to look the part!" Melody said, sounding excited.

"Ooh! I could use some new clothes!" Harper said.

"Well, about that… The Watao are a bit… Well… They don't like people who don't look like them. In fact, the Octnua population on Watao is very small. If I were you, I would stay on the ship. I'm sorry, Harper... I can bring you back something, if you would like..." Melody said, looking uncomfortable. Harper blinked. He never really encountered too much racism before. In a way, he was shocked. He nodded.

"I'll secure the ship." Harper said.

"I'm sorry, Harper…" Melody apologized again. She then looked to Ron. "We should head to the shopping district, Hongquichang!"

"Alright, Cricket." Ron said, getting up out of his chair.

"Don't call me 'Cricket!'" She shouted. He then smiled at her.

"Okay, Melody…" Ron said in a playful tone. She blushed. "But I'm too used to Cricket so you'll have to get used to it too." Melody pouted.

"Let's go already!" Melody said, sounding frustrated. She did, however, flash Ron a smile as she exited the ship.

Soon, the crew was dressed in their new outfits. Ron was wearing a gray _Lanshan_ with glasses and a bun; he looked fairly professional, almost like a professor. Harry was wearing a navy _Zhiduo_ with his hair tied back in a braid; he definitely looked like a student of Ron's. Melody was wearing her black and silver Qipao, except she had red lipstick on, making her appear more mature. And last of all, Lark was crossdressing: He was wearing a long, white Qipao with pink flowers and white heels to match; He was also wearing a long, black wig and red lipstick. Harry and Ron were both blushing when they saw Lark came out of the store dressed the way he was.

"I think I'm confused…" Harry whispered to himself. Ron whistled.

"Wow, Lark!" Ron put an arm around him. "I would take you out any day!" Lark looked up at him, looking uncomfortable. Harry smacked Ron's hand

"Cut it out, Ron." Harry said. Ron then looked over at Melody.

"You too, Cricket." He said, winking at her. Melody blushed.

"Oh, shut up, you dirty old man!" Melody cried. Ron shrugged. "Anyway, don't you think Lark's disguise is great? No one will ever recognize him! So, now comes the next part! I have to give all of you Watao names!" She first pointed at Ron. "Ron! You're Dawuya! Harry, you're Feng! And Lark, you're Xiaoniao!"

"What kind of name is 'Dawuya?!'" Ron shouted. He hated how it sounded.

"I think it suits you—'Big Crow!'" Melody said, giggling.

"What?!"

"Anyway, we should catch a cab. The lab is in a different district of Watao City, in Chuo!" Melody said, raising her hand. A white cab pulled up. The four of them got inside and left Hongquichang, the car bouncing on the cobblestone roads. Ron began to look a little nauseous.

"What's with these streets?" Ron said.

"How is it that you can fly through asteroid fields and be fine, and yet complain about being in the back of a cab?" Melody asked. Harry laughed.

"Shut up, Feng." Ron said, glaring at him. Harry continued to laugh.

The crew reached the lab, which lied on the eastern outskirts of Chuo by the Watao City bay. The cab drove off and the four of them approached the main door, seeing a card key slot.

"Crap." Ron said, looking frustrated.

"Let me handle this." Melody said. She rang the intercom. A voice responded right away.

"Hello?"

"Hi! My name is Ming Xiaowei. We're here for the meeting?" Melody said, smiling.

"Oh! You must be the group from Rynex! Come in!" The voice said as the door unlocked.

"Ming?" Ron whispered to himself. Melody blushed when he heard him whisper the name. "Well, good job, 'Ming.'"

"Hey! A girl's gotta be tough!" Melody said, winking at him.

The four of them walked in, the security guard walking up to them.

"You're late. You're wanted in Room L. That's on the second floor, second door on the left."

"Well, it's a long trip!" Melody said, pouting. Ron walked forward to the elevator.

Soon, the crew was greeted by a couple of scientists in Room L. One of them had a handsome face with blue eyes and styled, brown hair.

"Hello. I am Dr. McLoughlin. I too am from Rynex. I worked on Project Lark 2. I'm so glad you could make it." He held out his hand, which Ron took and shook. Each one of them shook his hand, Lark not looking him in the eyes.

"Nice to meetcha. I am Dawuya Yao and these are my assistants: Feng Ren, Ming Xiaowei, and Xiaoniao Song." Harry looked somewhat annoyed at Ron. He didn't like being called his "assistant."

"A pleasure," Dr. McLoughlin said, smiling at Lark. Lark's eyes darted away to avoid his gaze. "Now, as we have discussed, we no longer have the DNA coding for Project Lark 2, but we're glad you have kept it all of this time. But I feel that in order to further your research for Project Lark 2, you should read up on our files on the Aurum. We have yet to enter the data into our system, but I thought you would like first looks," he said, pointing to a door. All of them felt a bit uneasy. "It's in our file room." His grin grew.

"Alright. Dr. Ren and I will head to the file room. Dr. Xiaowei and Dr. Song, we'll return shortly." Ron said, heading to the file room. The other scientists, all male, began to crowd around Melody and Lark, immediately introducing themselves and flirting with them. Melody had no problem flirting back, but Lark kept his answers short.

Ron closed the door behind Harry and they began to search the room. The two of them looked under "A" for Aurum, but couldn't seem to locate it. Just then, Harry noticed a file sticking out as if it had been opened already. It was under the letter "Z." Harry opened it and briefly scanned the first page.

"I've found it." Harry said, handing it to Ron. Ron opened it up.

"Let's see now… There's a lot here…" Ron said. He then began to read aloud. "'The Z27-11I1 or 'Aurum' is named after the metal it resembles. It, however, turns white when it heats up. It heats up when its hidden 'feathers' generate ki, an energy mastered by the Watao pirates. This is a weapon used to defend itself, other than its four grappler arms. It has been made with the hopes of reaching the Galactic Leyline, its design based off of the Kei pirate's design 'XGP-15A2.''"

"The XGP? That sounds so familiar…" Harry said softly.

"That's the ship piloted by Gene Starwind. Remember?" Ron said, looking at him. Harry nodded.

"It lists some of the scientists who worked on the Aurum… And I see here that there was a Dr. Russell Periwinkle and a Dr. V. Gallagher. So, we now know why those two have so much history with the ship. Can't believe that Gallagher used to be a scientist…" Ron snickered.

"I guess you never really know someone." Harry stated. Ron's brows then furrowed.

"There is a section here about its connection to 'Project Lark.'" Ron said, turning the page. Ron silently read to himself until his eyes suddenly widened. "Harry… You're not going to like this…"

"What is it, Ron?" Harry said, trying to read the file.

"Lark is… well, kind of like a clone. The original DNA belonged to an unnamed bio android that died. From the DNA came Melfina, Lark, and two others, who died."

"N-no…" Harry said, eyes falling.

Lark had entered the file room minutes ago, to get away from the other scientists. He had overheard what Ron had said. He walked around a corner to approach them, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Who am I?" Lark said in a weak voice. Harry didn't know how to feel. He couldn't help but to think that Lark was a clone all along. At the same time, he was shocked. And the worst part was that he had a feeling that if Lark ever found out, he would break down. Harry's eyes fell, unable to look at him.

"I think it's time we left. We should take this with us. I'll switch out the papers." Ron took the papers, folded them neatly, and put them into his robes. He then pulled papers from another file, put it in the folder, and headed out of the file room, walking past Lark.

"Come on, Lark…" Harry said softly. Lark wiped at his eyes and followed him. They returned to the room to see Melody giggling.

"Oh, you want my number now?" She said to Dr. McLoughlin. He then looked up over at Ron.

"Ah. You have returned, Dr. Yao. Did you find the file?" Dr. McLoughlin asked.

"Yes, I did. And though I skimmed over it, I was thinking that I could leave the folder with you and we could review it together after all of us go out to lunch? I do believe this will definitely help our research on Rynex." Ron said, smiling at him as he handed him the folder.

"Oh! Yes! You all must be very hungry after your trip! We don't have any kind of cafeteria here, but there are some small noodle restaurants nearby!"

"Perfect. We'll be back." Ron said, turning to leave. The crew left the room, Melody blowing a kiss to Dr. McLoughlin. The four of them called a cab and went into a hotel near where they had landed.

All of them ended up having noodles for dinner. Evening fell quick on Watao; the days were shorter than the ones on Sentinel III. In one room, Ron was topless and Melody's black and silver Qipao was on the floor. Ron was sleeping in the same bed as Melody. She had her arm stretched out across his chest. In the other room was Lark and Harry, who were sitting on their bed together. Lark had taken off the heels and the wig, and wiped away the lipstick he had been wearing. He hadn't eaten his noodles and spent the past couple of hours quietly crying on and off; his eyes had begun to hurt. Harry had eaten his dinner in silence, trying to find the words he wanted to say to him. He had also begun fighting some urges that kept on pricking him. These were urges he had for a long time now…

When it began to get late, Harry spoke up.

"You should change…" Harry said, referring to the Qipao Lark was still wearing.

"Who cares? I'm just a doll… It doesn't matter what I wear…" Lark said, wiping his eyes. Harry got off of the bed and approached him, kneeling. He began to unbutton the front of Lark's Qipao. Lark's tears suddenly halted as his face flushed.

"You're not a doll. You're very real to me—warm and breathing." Harry said as he pushed Lark onto his back. He didn't want to fight himself anymore. Harry got on top of him and undid his braid, his loose hair falling. He locked his gaze with Lark's, his eyes shining in his shadow. "I want to see you. All of you…" Harry said, beginning to unzip the side of Lark's Qipao open.

"I want to see you too…" Lark said, reaching up to curl a finger in his hair…

The next morning arrived quickly, and the crew had returned to the Aurum. Everyone was preparing to launch. Suddenly, Lark turned to Ron. "I want to go to the Galactic Leyline," he said in a firm voice. Ron swerved around in his seat to face Lark, looking surprised.

"Wait. Are you serious?"

"Yes. I have to."

"Lark, we don't know where it is, and besides… whatever you're looking for may not be there…" Lark's eyes had grown intense. Ron was a bit thrown off by it. Lark was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"I will find it. The Aurum and I were meant to. And I think I know where we may need to look."

"Where?" Ron said, brow quirked. Lark then pointed to his red flower.

"Flonoe."

"Alright, Lark… I mean… There is some seriously bad stuff about the Galactic Leyline… but if you—"

"I need to find out who I am," Lark said, jumping down into the navigation tube. Harry looked at Ron, his pupils shrinking. He suddenly remembered fighting to his death. Harry flailed, picking up things and throwing them. Ron jumped to his feet and immediately grabbed ahold of him.

"Harry! Harry! Stop it!" Ron cried. Harper rushed over to aid Ron.

"I-I don't want to go there again!" Harry cried. "Not again!"

"Harry, I—"

"I heard you, Harry…" Lark's voice came from the speaker as the navigational tube with him inside it emerged. "Harry, we need to talk… okay?" Harry looked over at Lark and began to calm down. He broke away from Ron and Harper and jumped into the navigational tube as well…

Meanwhile, in a grand palace on Watao, three people were bowing in a spotlight in the dark. One man had a pale complexion, with long blonde hair and icy blue eyes.

"Deimos..." A deep voice called, the blonde looking up. Next to him was another man who practically looked identical to Deimos, except with yellow eyes. "Phobos..." The other blonde looked up now. And finally, next to him was an attractive woman. She was tanned, had a white hair styled in a bob, and orange eyes. "And my beloved Io." The woman looked up. "We will be traveling soon. We finally know where the Aurum is headed, thanks to the lovely Io," the deep voice said. Io giggled.

"Thank you, Lord Junfa," Io said in a sweet voice.

"We will not be chasing them, but waiting for them," Lord Junfa stated. "At Flonoe."


	13. Episode 12

Chapter XII: Battlefield of the Wyvern

Melody and Ron were in front of the stove, side-by-side. Ron was poking at a cut of meat on a grill with a pair of tongs.

"You're going to overcook it!" Melody said, folding her arms.

"Listen. There is one thing I know how to do right, and that's how to grill a steak!" Ron said, sounding annoyed.

"I highly doubt it. Let me handle this."

"Oh. Okay. But you're paying for the next steak." Ron said, folding his arms now. Melody held up a finger and began to wave it around. She began to chant.

"Niupai, niupai, shao!" She cried. Her finger glowed, and suddenly, the steak exploded into a cloud of smoke, getting ash on their faces. Ron looked over at Melody, annoyed.

"Shao… Or was it… Zhuo?" Melody said quietly.

"Is this how your ship blew up?" Ron asked, smirking.

"It's none of your business!" Melody said, wiping her face with a towel.

Meanwhile, in the digital world, Harry was showing the last memories he had before he died.

Harry had rested his hand on Melfina's cheek and was drifting forward when suddenly, everything faded to black…

Lark's eyes teared up.

"Maybe we shouldn't go…" Lark said softly. Harry turned to him.

"But you need to find out who you are… All of this time, we've been traveling through space, not really thinking about how you feel…" Harry said.

"I don't want anyone to know how I feel…"

"Why?"

"Because… I've always felt like my feelings never mattered. For two years, I was nothing but a navigational system for pirates… And now that I've found that I'm some kind of… well, guide to the Galactic Leyline—whatever that is—why would my feelings matter?"

"Because you exist… and that's what it means to exist: To feel." Harry replied. Lark's eyes fell. "Let yourself live, Lark."

"Thank you… Everyone on this ship has made me feel real… And soon, I'll finally know who I really am… At least, I hope so…" Lark said in fragmented sentences.

The ship was soon approaching Flonoe's atmosphere. Not a single satellite was in its orbit. The ship had begun to shake, and quite violently. Harper checked the engine and raced back to the front of the ship.

"The atmosphere is causing the engine a lot of stress!" Harper cried. Ron ran from the kitchen and sat down to manually pilot the ship. Suddenly, a painful noise pierced the ears of Ron, Harper, and Melody. They all put their hands on their heads and cried out.

"What's that noise?!" Harper cried.

"It hurts so bad!" Melody screamed. Harry and Lark looked at each other, obviously unaffected. However, Lark was able to detect some strange kind of frequency coming from the planet. The Aurum turned white and the wings opened, beginning to charge ki. Without a moment's hesitation, Harry commanded the ship to shoot through the thick atmosphere and create a path. Once a visual of the land below the Aurum popped up on the screen, the noise had faded. The three of them let out a big sigh.

"You know, Octnua's sense of hearing is quite good. That really hurt…"

"Yeah, it did…" Ron said. "I think I've heard that noise before…"

"Really? That's awful!" Melody cried, shaking her head. Suddenly, a blurry map of the planet popped up on the screen.

"Sorry, this is the best I could do…" Lark said.

"Hey. There's a large crater in this planet. That's kind of interesting. Let's land near it." Ron said, sitting back in his chair.

The landing was very soft. When all was still, another visual popped up on the screen. It showed a world with blue skies with endless hills covered in green grass. Ron wondered how a planet so far away would be so similar to Sentinel III—except it was far lusher. Another visual popped up, showing some stone stairs built into the side of the crater, leading downward.

"Interesting…" Ron said. "Steps on a supposedly non-inhabited planet."

"The Aurum just told me something… The crater is referred to as the 'Battlefield of the Wyvern.'" Lark said, eyes thinning.

"'Wyvern,' huh?" Ron repeated, quirking a brow. "Well, who's ready for a little adventurin'?" Ron stood up, smiling.

Soon, the crew was outside, making a slow decline into the crater. Ron was nervous, wondering if the stairs they were walking on would collapse beneath him. His expressions were practically goofy.

"You look like you're scared, Ron." Melody teased. "I'm as light as a feather, so I'll be fine!" She said, hopping down the stairs.

"Shut up! Shut up! I just wanna get down from here, okay?!" Ron cried. Harry snickered.

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen you like this, Ron." Harry said, smiling.

"Sorry if I don't want to fall down stairs! Especially ones that look a bajillion years old!" Ron said.

The crater looked like a bowl of rubies, a large field of red spider lilies sprinkling the bottom of it. Lark spotted some kind of structure in the middle, it a bit obscured by a small forest of pines.

Once they got to the bottom, Lark smiled at the flowers. All of them were glittering with dew. Ron, not really caring about the flowers, stepped forward, heading towards the structure. Melody and Harper followed, and so did Harry, shrugging at Lark. Lark sighed and followed the path they had made. Along the way, he picked up a small bunch and put the stem behind his ear.

They arrived at the mouth of the structure, in front of a large wooden gate resembling _torii._ In front of it stood a statue of a wyvern holding a key in its mouth. Beyond it was a long path, connected by multiple gates closely placed together, each one identical to the next.

"A bit intimidating…" Harper said, looking up at the statue.

"Should we go inside?" Harry said, looking at Ron. Ron smiled.

"I don't believe in superstition, if that's what you mean. Let's go."

The crew walked down the path, bars of light between the gates hitting their faces. Once they arrived at the end of the path, they came to another statue of a wyvern with a key in its mouth, standing in a large, shallow pond. Everyone stopped to look at it but Lark kept on going. The flower in his hair fell down into the water. Melody was a bit confused as to why he didn't mind getting his feet wet.

"Lark! What are ya doin'?" Ron asked, quirking a brow. Harry looked over at Ron, his pupils small.

"Something is calling me, Ron." Harry said in an almost robotic voice. He then stepped into the pond to follow Lark. Lark and Harry approached the statue, their footsteps creating glowing ripples; it was as if they were drawn in by the statue. Lark placed a hand on the base of the statue on one of its talons, Harry doing the same seconds later. Suddenly, there came a booming voice.

"THE MAIDEN HATH BEEN LOST. THE KNIGHTS HAST COMETH." The voice said. Everyone looked around for the source of the voice, looking a little frightened. Suddenly, the statue began to crumble, and everything around them began to shake and sink in. Harry and Lark snapped out of their trance and ran out of the pond towards the rest of the crew.

"What's going on?! An earthquake?!" Melody said, trying to keep her balance.

"I don't know, but let's get the hell out of here!" Ron yelled. The crew began to run down the same path they used to enter the shrine. Harper tripped, but Melody, as short as she was, helped him back onto his feet. They began to run up the stairs up the side of the crater as the crater began to sink in. None of them looked down, already scared; Ron was the fastest. They managed to get to the ship when they noticed an obsidian ship parked next to them.

"Who is that?" Harry asked as he entered the ship.

"Don't know! Don't care! Hurry! We gotta get off this planet!" Ron said, sitting down in the pilot's seat. The Aurum took off, as well as the other black ship, both of them racing to leave the planet. However, they were having a difficult time reaching the thermosphere. It wasn't an earthquake; Lark informed them right away. The planet was actually collapsing on itself. Suddenly, the Aurum was surrounded by a black cloud. They couldn't see anything. All they knew was that they felt like they weren't moving any further away from the planet. Suddenly, a visual popped onto the screen. Lark gasped. On the visual, there was a giant, glowing red spider lily blooming among the chaos.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ron cried. The flower faded as if someone had turned off the lights and the smoke cleared. The gravity had increased however, pulling the Aurum back. Suddenly, another visual popped on the screen. On it was a black, cylindrical object with golden paths. Ron's and Harry's eyes widened.

"The… Leyline…" Ron said, sounding a bit winded. The black ship appeared and began to fly towards the Leyline, while the Aurum was actually tugged by its gravity.

"We can't escape its gravity!" Harry cried. The Aurum turned around and went through a series of golden rings with strange lettering.

"This is creepy…" Melody said, staring straight at the screen.

"All too familiar… Well, Lark, it looks like you've gotten your wish. Welcome to the Leyline.." Ron said, carefully navigating the Aurum into some kind of chasm. Inside there were golden stalagmites and stalactites covered in frost.

"Where did the other ship go?" Harper asked.

"Don't know… I couldn't track it…" Lark said back.

"We're approaching a dead end." Harry replied. The ship slowed down until it approached a platform jutting out from the wall. A visual popped up, showing stairs.

"More stairs?" Melody said, confused.

"It's calling me…" Lark said softly. His navigational tube sunk.

"The last time one of you said that, a whole entire planet collapsed. I'm not sure it's safe to follow these hunches." Ron said, standing up now.

"The ship won't move." Harry said. "For some reason, it's not letting us leave."

"Crap." Ron said, approaching Harry's navigation tube. His sunk as well.

Soon, the crew was outside the ship.

"It's cold here!" Melody cried, folding her arms. Lark began to walk up the stairs. Ron shrugged and the crew followed him…

They came across a barren field with snow and ice. The sky above them was a tomato red. Ahead of them was a tall, crooked tower with a large statue of a wyvern perched on one side.

"This is completely different from the last time we were here…" Harry said, his mind quickly flickering back to the past. "But it's the same place. I know it…" Without saying anything, Lark walked forward.

"Wait up, Lark! You just can't keep on going off to places without saying anything!" She cried. Suddenly, she slipped, falling on her rear. "Ow!" She cried. Ron helped her to her feet.

"This time, we're going to be careful." Ron said, trying to hold in a small laugh. Suddenly, a man appeared in front of them, about 15 feet away. He was about 5'11", wearing white robes. He had long, straight blonde hair. His eyes were an icy blue and his skin was pale. He was wearing one small silver hoop in his right ear. It was Deimos.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet all of you…" Deimos bowed his head. Ron quirked a brow.

"And who are you? Some kind of... figment of the Leyline's imagination?" Ron asked, honestly ready to accept anything.

"Me? Oh, no. I'm quite real. Now, I'm going to ask nicely: Give me the doll." Deimos said, holding out his palm. Lark took a step back.

"I don't have time for this." Ron said. He opened his jacket, and took out his caster staff.

"Ooh. Nice little toy there. I, however, don't need one." Deimos then stomped and created a spikey trail of ice in front of Lark. Lark stepped back, even more nervous now.

"Everyone head to the tower. I'll take care of this guy." Ron said, charging his caster staff. They ran past Deimos, his hair moving with a gentle breeze…

Suddenly, Harper disappeared and was transported to a maze made out of gold walls under a black sky. He looked around, looking bewildered. He tried to calm down and take in his surroundings.

"Where did everyone go? Is this some kind of… maze? Great. Well, if I follow a wall, it should eventually lead me somewhere."

Meanwhile, Harry, Lark, and Melody made their way to the front of the tower, where Phobos stood. Practically a twin of Deimos, he smiled at them with his gold eyes. In his left ear, he wore a small gold hoop.

"Hey! How did you get over here?" Melody asked, confused.

"Oh. You must mean my brother, Deimos. I am Phobos."

"Whatever! Are you going to give us a hard time too?" Melody said, glaring at him now.

"Maybe." He grinned wide. Melody took out her bronze, caster revolvers. "I knew you would do that…" He whispered.

"I can take him. You guys go ahead." Melody said. Harry looked at her.

"Are you serious?" Harry said, looking worried.

"I'm a pirate, daughter of the famous Watao space pirate Xiaowei! My life was always on the line." Melody said, grinning cockily.

"'Xiaowei?' You make me laugh! He was nothing but an embarrassment, princess." Phobos said, stifling a laugh.

"Grr! Don't call me that! How would you know anything about me and my father?!" Melody cried.

"Because I can hear your thoughts. You have a very weak mind. I know a lot now. Princess Ming, you're the daughter of the old lord Qingting. Your father was not paying any of his servants very well—even in terms of rice—so before all of them and their starving families could burn the house down, you and your father fled and went off to become pirates. You took on the surname of Xiaowei and became acquainted with Fuqin Heihozu. But… your father left the system to find the Leyline with the other pirates. He left you, his only daughter, alone. I suppose he ran with his 'tail' between his legs. He simply couldn't handle having a daughter any longer. Poor princess…" Phobos said in a falsely sympathetic voice. Melody's eyes had begun to tear up.

"Shut up!" Melody said, taking a shot. Phobos, however, dodged it, it scraping his cheek. A small stream of blood ran down his cheek.

"I see. So, you're feeling embarrassed now." Phobos teased.

"Quit picking on her, creep!" Harry shouted.

"Fine. I'll just kill her instead."

"Harry, Lark. Head to the tower. Something in me is telling me that's where you need to be. I'll off this guy real quick." She said, pointing her guns at him.

"Melody, are you going to be okay?" Lark said in a concerned tone.

"Of course. He's just lit the fire I needed to kill him." Melody said.

"This should be interesting." Phobos said, getting into a defensive position. Harry and Lark ran past Phobos to the front door of the tower. Lark looked at it, studying it, wondering how to open it. He then rested a hand on the door, feeling it. Suddenly, he began to sink into it, as if it wasn't tangible. Harry grabbed his hand, trying to pull him back, when they were both sucked in…


	14. Episode 13 FINAL

Episode XIII: I exist

Harry and Lark stumbled into the tower. They looked up, expecting that they would have to climb many stairs, but instead, saw the roof and stairs spiraling down.

"This tower is one big illusion." Harry stated, looking at the darkness ahead of them. Lark looked around, noticing that the walls were decorated with some kind of glowing, golden lettering.

"I've never seen anything like this... But things are starting to come back to me now…" Lark said as he carefully took his first step down. Harry followed him.

"What kind of things?" Harry asked.

"This face… I keep on seeing this face… She's looking at me and smiling…" Lark said quietly as his steps echoed.

"Hmmm…" Harry began to recall the one time he saw a mask and that was when Huo was hacking into their ship; Lark couldn't possibly be talking about Huo's stiff wooden mask…

The pair reached the bottom where they saw a pair of very large golden doors; they were at the entrance to some kind subterranean world at the end of the stairs. The pair approached the door with caution.

"How are we going to open such large doors?" Harry looked around for any kind of device nearby. Suddenly, a large hand reached through the door and grabbed Lark while they were inspecting the area. Lark screamed out of shock and Harry called out to him before he disappeared…

Harper was wandering through the maze, resting his feathered hand across the wall to the right. He took every turn he could with the bend of the wall with dedication. Harper halted when he heard what sounded like voices. He was a tad nervous now, hoping that these voices didn't belong to hostile creatures. He turned the corner slowly to enter a courtyard and saw Russell Periwinkle, Gallagher, and Gwen Khan talking to each other; he was only able to identify Russell. They all stopped when they saw Harper approaching them.

"Mr. Periwinkle?" Harper said shyly.

"Yes?" Russell answered.

"Why are you here?"

"And why are you here?" Russell replied.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude. My name is Harper. My friends and I—" Harper paused. Should he really tell them why they were there? "My friends and I got trapped in the gravity of the collapsing planet and now we're here. I'm here by myself though."

"Don't you know where you are? It's a shame if you think you're lost just within these walls." Gwen said in a low voice. Russell looked over at Gwen and then back at Harper.

"Well, my ship and I got sucked in too, so you're not alone." Gallagher added.

"But I am alone. I got separated from Ron and everyone, and I haven't a clue as to how to find them…" Harper said, letting out a sigh.

"Did you say 'Ron?'" Russell said, sounding a little more interested. Harper became a little nervous, not knowing what to expect. "Ron MacDougall?" Harper subtly nodded his head.

"I see! So the Aurum has made it to the Galactic Leyline after all!" Russell said, crossing his arms.

"Ah, so both of the ships made it here. So marvelous…" Gwen said. Harper stared at them, wondering what they could be talking about; after all, he didn't know too much about the Aurum and its connection to the Leyline; Ron never felt the need to discuss it with him or Melody.

"What is this place exactly?" Harper asked.

"Hell. I can't believe I ever got involved…" Gallagher said with a voice full of regret.

"So, Mr. Harper, I must ask you, could you deliver a message to Ron? Me assuming you'll find him again…" Russell said, his mandibles beginning to move.

"Sure."

"Please tell him that I'm sorry for lying to him. I'm sure that, by now, he knows everything—including your involvement, Mr. Gallagher." Russell said in an apologetic voice. Gallagher scoffed.

"Yeah, whatever." Gallagher said under his breath. His eyes rose. "Well, Harper, I want to get out of here as much as you do. What I'm looking for isn't here." He then turned to Russell. "Coming with us?"

"I suppose so..." Russell answer. He then turned to face Gwen. "I will miss you, old friend."

"I will miss you too. Farewell." Gwen replied. The three of them then left Gwen behind to wander the maze…

Ron was glaring at Deimos, ready to attack.

"You know what I like about ice? To the eye, it is beautiful, mimicking the perfection that is glass; however, to the touch, it stings... sometimes it can even burn nerves... I wonder now, how would you look like if your body grew such beautiful crystals under your skin…" Deimos said, smiling cockily.

"It's too bad, I already like the way I look—" Ron was cut off. Suddenly, Deimos threw a shard of ice—that had materialized in his hand—smacking the caster staff right out of Ron's hands. Ron sighed and pulled out his gun. "You know, I wonder what you would like with a bullet between your eyes." Deimos laughed.

"You're quite the joker now, aren't you? Well, let's get started, shall we?" Deimos said.

"Alright." Ron replied, cocking his gun. Deimos stomped his foot onto the ground and a trail of spikey ice rushed at Ron. Ron slid, making Deimos' attack miss. Ron began to shoot at Deimos, but he made a wall of thick ice in front of himself, blocking the bullets. The wall burst into small ice crystals with a wave of his hand when they suddenly became encased in large, thick blades of ice. He rushed towards Ron, ready to attack him. Ron's shots missed and Deimos swiped at Ron, trying to cut him. Ron dodged most of his attacks, using the icy terrain to his advantage, however, Deimos managed to cut him across the chest through his jacket and shirt. Ron jumped back, grinding his teeth. Deimos smirked.

"Stings, doesn't it?" Deimos ran his finger across his own chest, mocking him.

"You talk too much." Ron said, sounding annoyed. Ron then reached into his coat and took out a caster bullet.

"Oh? You're just so resourceful!" Deimos said when he saw the bullet being loaded into the gun. Deimos shook his hands, freeing them from the blades of ice he had made.

"I like to think so." Ron said with a grin. Deimos stomped and another trail of ice rushed at Ron, this time wrapping around his feet. The ice began to crawl up his legs at a fast pace, freezing him in place.

"Damn!" Ron said, trying to think of what he was going to do.

"I've got you now. That ice will grow up until it fills your lungs." Deimos said, licking his lips. Ron glared at him. "Oh? What's wrong? I don't like such ugly faces." Ice climbed up Ron's thighs. Deimos approached Ron and slapped him across the face, grinning. Ron's gun began to charge in his hand, however the ice coated the gun. Suddenly, the gun went off, the bullet disintegrating within the ice casing. The ice began to run up his chest now, freezing the blood on it. Ron hissed.

"Goodbye." Deimos said, turning his back to walk away. Suddenly, without any warning, Deimos became completely encased in thick ice, freeing Ron. Ron let out a sigh.

"Number Six. Reverse spell. Thank you, Melody…" He said, sounding relieved…

Lark was in a circular room full of mirrors. Everywhere he turned he saw his reflection. He could hear his loud breaths falling back on his ears. Lark walked around, trying to see if one of the mirrors was a door, but when he realized none of them were, he began to panic. First he tried to push himself up against each mirror. When that didn't work, he began pounding on them, and hard enough in an attempt to break the glass. Then, he began to slam himself into them; the mirrors shook, but did not break. Lark sunk down to the floor, his back to a mirror. He was panting, his cheeks flushed. He thought to himself that he would only give up now until he would make another attempt later. Just when his breaths began to quiet, a pair of hands reached out from behind him and began to choke him. Lark struggled, pulling away. He crawled onto the floor in front of him and snapped his head back to look. A nude copy of himself was staring at him with a smile. The copy rose and then began to walk through the mirror into the room. Lark jumped to his feet, stepping back. Suddenly, the doppelgänger turned into Melfina. Lark let out a scream and fell back, falling through a mirror…

Lark fell onto his side, feeling pain slap him through his whole body. He used his arms to slowly push himself upright when he suddenly noticed that his feet were chained to the floor. His eyes widened. Lark sat down on his behind and began to yank at the chains, even though a part of him knew it was useless. Just then, he noticed that he was in some kind of cage. His head went from left to right, tracing the bars. He began to pant again. Suddenly, he heard something; it resembled the sound of flesh hitting a wet floor. He jumped. A giant face began to emerge from the darkness… It was Melfina's! She came into view, cupping the bottom of the cage in her hands. Lark screamed as she drew near, smiling sweetly at him. Just then, he heard Harry calling his name. Everything faded, and soon, Harry was running over to Lark. They both had white halos of light above them.

"Lark! Are you okay?!" Harry cried, grabbing Lark by the shoulders. "You're shaking…"

"I… don't know." Lark said, his eyes falling. Behind Lark, a hole of light appeared.

"Lark, I've been looking for you. It's been nothing but darkness… but I see something now. Look behind you." Lark became tense; he wasn't sure what to expect. When he saw that it was light, he instantly felt relieved. "Hey, maybe we should go over there…" Harry said, letting Lark go. Lark, a tad reluctant, followed him. When they arrived at the hole, he saw that it was close to the "ground" and was only big enough to crawl through. Harry got down on his knees and began to crawl through the hole. Lark looked around, nervous; where else could he go? He followed Harry into the light…

They crawled out of the hole to see that they were crawling out between the roots of a large tree. They were in a forest full of golden trees with a sky full of colorful nebula. The tree they were crawling out of spiraled up towards the heavens and had a mask of a woman's face. Lark gasped, recognizing the face.

"I've been here before…" Lark whispered.

"I've never been this far before…" Harry said back. The face's eyes dropped down to look at the two of them. A soft woman's voice spoke from the heavens.

"Whence is the maiden? Ye are the maiden?" The voice said.

"No! I'm not her! I'm me!" Lark cried back.

"The maiden hath been lost…" The voice said, sounding a little somber.

"I am… I am Lark… And this is Harry…" Lark said, feeling a little unsure.

"The maiden hath been lost. The knights has cometh. What is thy desire?" The voice asked.

"My desire…? I… I want to know who I am…" Lark said quietly.

"Ye are the knights." The voice answered.

"But there is more to me, isn't there?!" Lark said, tossing his head.

"Thoust been made to defend the maiden. Whence is the maiden?" The voice repeated.

"I don't know…" Lark answered as he looked over to Harry.

"The maiden hath been lost. The knights had cometh. What is thy desire?" The voice repeated.

"I think it's glitched…" Harry said quietly.

"There is no glitch. Just power. As the knights, thoust all the power of the Leyline." The voice said. It was then that they both understood that they were talking to some unworldly power—the Leyline.

"I want to understand who I am!" Lark cried, sounding like he was a child demanding answers. Then there was a great light…

Suddenly, both of them were standing on a white sand beach, looking out at the turquoise ocean and blue sky. There was nothing but the sound of waves washing up on the sand. Each of them had a starfish in their hands. The voice began to speak to them.

"Did you know that some starfish split and create another whole starfish?" The voice said softly. Lark looked down at the starfish in his hand, it tickling his palm.

"But what happens to the original starfish? Is it the same starfish?" Lark asked, realizing the Leyline was really trying to communicate with him.

"It has reinvented itself. It can be whatever it wants to be. Its life has not ended." The voice replied.

"And the new starfish?" Lark felt his throat tighten.

"It is special. It can explore the shallow, purest blues to the deepest blacks of the ocean. It is the journey that defines the being and the journey is something it can choose. We are not defined by others. We exist with our own dimensions. We are shaped by our own thoughts." The voice answered. The starfish clung to Lark's hand.

"So what is my value?" Lark thought back to his conversation with Harry. Harry looked over at him, remembering the night clearly.

"You create your own value. It is to be discovered only by you and that means it is infinite because there is a universe inside of you. Nothing is more valuable than life itself in this chaotic universe and within you is a life of your own that you can share with others." The voice said. Harry smiled and set the starfish he was holding down onto the sand.

"But aren't I just a copy of something greater? The original child of the Leyline?" Lark asked; more was coming back to him. "Melfina and I… aren't we from the same being?"

"Yes. She is the maiden. And you are the knight. And all is perfect."

"'Perfect?' What is perfect?"

"Creation is perfection. You are born with your innate value, which is perfection because you are a living creation." The voice said. Lark smiled and went to put the starfish back into the ocean, Harry doing the same.

"I understand now…" Lark said softly. He then turned to Harry, who was already looking at him. Harry leaned in and bumped his forehead with Lark's, holding it there as he clasped his hands in his. Lark closed his eyes and smiled…

Suddenly, everything returned to normal and they were in the golden forest again. However, there were two people standing by the tree they had been talking to. One was Io, while the other was a man with a larger stature: he was tall, with long straight, jet black hair tied into a ponytail; he had a mask on, which was white and featureless, with two slits for eyes. It was Lord Junfa himself. The two of them had no clue as to who they were, but they looked sinister. Io looked at the two of them, giggling, sitting on one of the roots with a laptop on her lap and USB wire jammed into the tree.

"Pow'r is thy desire." The Leyline said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What?!" Harry said, looking bewildered. Lark held his head in pain.

"They've hacked into the Leyline!" Lark said in a pained voice.

"Quit kidding around!" Harry growled. Harry charged at Lord Junfa, but was thrown back against another tree with the raise of a hand. An axe encrusted with small, golden jewels formed in Lark's hands. He went to swing it at Io, but he was blocked by a ring of numbers that appeared around her…

Melody and Phobos were running across the ice, Melody trying to shoot him. He dodged each shot with ease.

"I can predict every single one of your moves. You can't escape that!" Phobos said, letting out a laugh. Phobos continued to mimic her moves. He then managed to get close and punch her in the stomach. Melody went flying. She got to her feet, trying to catch her breath but Phobos rushed up to her and punched her in the stomach again. Melody was sent rolling across the icy ground. She laid on her side, panting loudly. She could feel blood gathering in her mouth. She got up slowly, legs wobbling, still holding onto her guns. She coughed blood onto ground. Phobos stopped running and watched her suffer.

"I'm shocked that you're still breathing. That's something I didn't predict…" Phobos said cockily. Melody took a couple of deep breaths before speaking.

"I get it now. You may know what I'm going to do next, but if I don't know, you're left in the dark just as much as I am!" She cried.

"What? What are you going on about?" Phobos said, crossing his arms. Melody reached into her dress by her chest, and took out bullets. She then closed her eyes, running her fingers along them. Phobos looked shocked. Melody loaded a bullet into each of her guns. Her eyes then snapped open.

"All you know now is I am going to shoot you. Right?" Melody said, smiling with blood running down her chin.

"That is correct." Phobos said, sounding unamused.

"But what will happen next will be a mystery to us both. Now, things are fair again." She said, wiping her chin.

"I suppose so… Go ahead now." Phobos said, suddenly smiling. Melody spat out more blood. She then aimed at Phobos, her arms shaking. Her guns charged.

"Bang!" Melody said, shooting her guns. At the last minute, her hands lost control and the bullets hit the ground. Phobos laughed.

"So dramatic... Well, the show is over. Goodbye, Ming." Phobos rushed at Melody, but suddenly, a giant flower blossomed around Phobos. The blossom closed instantly. Phobos struggled, trying to punch through petals, but the flower tightened until it was completely closed. Suddenly, the flower burst, blood and petals flying everywhere. Melody looked down at her guns.

"I didn't know I had that one of those… The Deadly Valentine number 14?" Melody took another series of deep breaths and retied her pigtails…

Ron caught up with Melody. Ron noticed the blood still running down her chin. He bent down to wipe it away with his thumb.

"Are you okay?" Ron said softly. Melody swallowed some blood.

"Yeah. I iced him good." Melody say, smiling with her mouth closed.

"Heh. So did I." Ron said, smiling back at her.

"I thought you were a dead man."

"Nope. This old man's managed to make it out."

"Good… Ugh, I'm freezing…" She said, wrapping her arms around herself. Ron took off his jacket and put it on Melody. He then zipped it up. Melody giggled.

"Let's go find my brother. I have a bad feeling about this…" Ron said, standing up. They both turned to face the tower…

Harry kept on trying to attack Lord Junfa, but he either dodged him or threw him into trees. Io was typing fast on her laptop. Suddenly, Lark's axe disappeared. Lark's brows furrowed. He then shot wires out of every finger into the tree, trying to stop Io from tricking the Leyline, a protective ring of numbers surrounding him. However, another ring of numbers formed around him and began to bind him tight, making his wires withdraw.

"You're so cute... I just want to cut you up into little pieces!" Io said, giggling.

Harry got up, shaking his head when he saw Lark in trouble.

"Lark!" Harry cried out to him. Harry ran up to them and shot his own uplink cable into the tree. The ring of numbers squeezing Lark broke, but suddenly, a large hand emerged from the tree and pulled Lark inside. Harry withdrew the cable and pounded his fists against the bark. "No! Damn it!" The sky began to grow bright.

"Here is the knight. Pow'r is thy desire. Pow'r you shall receive." The Leyline said.

Suddenly, Lord Junfa wrapped his large arms around himself, groaning. He then began to glow a bright white and transform, transforming into a giant beast with a body of a hairless dog, with nine serpentine heads without eyes, and with jaws of a wolf. Harry looked up at it, pupils shrinking.

"What—" Harry said quietly. Lark suddenly fell from an opening that formed within the tree; Harry caught him. Lark looked pale, but was conscious. The Lord Junfa monster roared with all of his heads. Harry set Lark down and the two of them began to run. The monster, a bit confused, began to thrash wildly. Io, nervous, folded her laptop up and looked up at the monster.

"So this is what power looks like…" Io whispered, astounded. Suddenly, one of the heads bent down, looking at her. Io stepped back, looking terrified. She began to run, but in seconds she was swallowed whole. One of the heads spotted Harry and Lark running. The monster began to chase them, clumsily stumbling over trees. Harry and Lark hid under another spiraling tree with a mask.

"What are we going to do?!" Lark said, panting loudly.

"I think I have an idea, but I need to reach Ron…" Harry said, his brows furrowing.

"Use the Leyline to speak to him!" Lark cried. Harry looked at him, confused, but then closed his eyes…

Ron and Melody were approaching the tower. Suddenly, they heard Harry's voice.

"Ron!" Harry's voice cried from the heavens. The two of them froze.

"Harry? How the hell can I hear you?" Ron said, shouting out to the heavens. Melody looked around, trying to see if he was anywhere, but the ice field was bare to the very horizon.

"Ron! I need you! Go into the tower, down the stairs, and there should be large doors! It should be open!" Harry explained.

"What?"

"Hurry!"

"Whatever you say, Harry!" Ron and Melody entered the tower and began to run down the stairs. They arrived at the large doors to see the entrance to the golden forest. They could hear roaring in the distance.

"What was that…?" Melody said, looking up at Ron.

"Harry! What am I supposed to do?!" Ron cried.

"Run towards the forest of trees with the faces! There should be a big monster there! Be careful!" Harry warned.

"Great…" Ron said, beginning to run towards the large trees.

The monster uprooted the tree that Harry and Lark were hiding under. The two of them ran under the monster in Ron's direction. The monster turned around, but tripped, falling onto its side. The monster's, now infuriated, heads began to bite each other. Soon, Ron and Melody saw Harry and Lark.

"I see them!" Melody cried.

"Ron! Toss me your necklace!" Harry cried, holding his hand up.

"My what?..." Ron looked down at the necklace he was wearing with the chip inside. He pulled the necklace free and tossed it once he got close. Lark caught it, handing it over to Harry. Harry then grabbed Lark by the wrist and they ran towards one of the trees with the masks.

"What is thy desire, knight?" The Leyline said in a calm voice.

"Seal the power away!" Harry shouted. A large hand came out of the tree and pulled Lark inside.

"Whence?" The Leyline asked. Harry held up the locket, showing off the microchip. The tree then bent down to look at Harry straight in the eyes, silent. Harry smirked. Then an opening in the bark appeared with Lark inside. Lark carefully took the locket from Harry and pulled out the chip. The opening then closed up and the tree stood up, beginning to glow. The monster got up and began to head for the glowing tree. Suddenly, a ring of numbers appeared around the beast. The monster stopped and began to bleed from their mouths. It then began to glow until it was a bright white. Suddenly, the monster disappeared in a flash of light. The tree returned to normal and released Lark, who was holding the chip. Ron and Melody ran up to them. Harry took the chip from Lark and looked at it.

"All of that power…" Harry said, admiring the chip. He then smirked and crushed the chip in his hand…

Ron, Harry, Lark and Melody returned to the ship to see Harper and Russell in the locker room.

"How did he get here?" Ron asked, looking at Russell. Harper turned to him and began to explain.

"He was lost in the maze like me—you see, I was transported to a maze, and I was lost, but then I found him, and then—"

"I am ever so sad. My favorite ship, the Argentum, was crushed by the Leyline. I was lucky to escape with my life... If you could please take me back to Crone, I would really appreciate it—"

"Yeah, sure." Ron replied. "Also, I forgive you. For lying. I'm too tired to argue with you…" Ron said, letting out a sigh. Russell's mandibles moved.

"Thank you…" Russell said quietly. Melody then stretched.

"I need a hot shower. No one get any ideas—especially you, big crow." Melody said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Whatever." Ron said, smiling at her. Melody walked into the washroom while Gallagher walked past her with a towel tied around his hips. When Melody caught him, she ran past him with her hands covering her eyes. She then slammed the door shut.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Ron said, looking quite annoyed at Gallagher.

"Ask Harper." Gallagher said. Harper turned to Ron again.

"His ship was also crushed by the gravity of the Leyline. I thought it would be nice thing to do if we—"

"Just drop me off at Pewter VI. I'll be out of your hair soon enough." Gallagher said nonchalantly.

"How about you get dressed and get your ass out of my towels?" Ron said. Gallagher snickered and headed to the locker area.

"By the way, the gravity here has decreased so we can get out of here after all." Harper mentioned.

"That's good. Hey, Harry, Lark, you two ok to pilot the ship?" Ron said, turning to them.

"I think we may need some time to rest." Harry said, letting out a sigh. Lark's regular complexion began to return.

"I wanna get out of this place." Ron said in a flat tone.

"I can do it—" Lark said, cut off by Harry.

"But we'll need a nap soon as we're out of orbit." Harry continued.

"Sounds like a plan." Ron replied. He walked over to Harry and then put an arm around him, using his other fist to lightly hit Harry in the head. "Don't do anything like that ever again, bonehead." Ron said, smiling. Harry looked up at him.

"I thought you and trouble were good friends." Harry said.

"Yeah, but… I care about you, Harry, okay?"

"Alright, alright." Harry laughed. Ron released him…

The ship was drifting towards Crone. The Galactic Leyline had disappeared once more… Harry and Lark were laying in one of the cabin beds, naked with covers draped over them.

"How long do you think the pirates will be looking for me?" Lark said, looking over at Harry. Harry turned on his side to face him, Lark doing the same.

"As long as you have value… so, I guess that's forever." Harry replied. Lark frowned. Harry quirked a brow. "What's wrong?"

"Being valuable… I'll always bring trouble to you and your brother." Lark said softly, his eyes falling. He pulled the covers up to cover his shoulder.

"So what?"

"I don't know… It kind of makes me sad…" Lark expressed.

"It's nothing that Ron, Melody, Harper, and I can't handle… You know, you've become a lot stronger since I've met you." Harry said, reaching forward to run a finger along his cheek.

"That's because of you." Lark said, smiling.

"Lark, I didn't know anything." Harry said.

"But that's just it. Remember what the Leyline said? What we've gone through together… The decisions we made without thinking… And the ones we couldn't stop thinking about… I think that's just it."

"That what?"

"The journey. My journey. What makes me 'me.'" Lark said, his eyes lighting up. Harry smiled.

"I'm glad you're part of mine." Harry said, withdrawing his hand. He reached under the covers and rested his arm across Lark's shoulder, pulling him closer. Harry bumped his forehead up against Lark's. Suddenly, an alarm went off. Harry sat up. Ron's voice came through the speakers.

"Harry, Lark, I need ya. There are some pirates headin' our way and I don't think they want to make friends with us." Ron said, sounding exhausted. Lark got out of bed, letting the covers slide down his body. Harry reached over to the desk next to the bed, picking up his purple ribbon; he tied his hair.

"You know, Lark, I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, let's go fight some pirates."


	15. Extras

Stuff I didn't include in my fanfic, that I would love to include! It's a little "extra!"

A

Argentum: Latin for "silver." Russell Periwinkle's favorite ship.

Aurum: Latin for "gold." The ship is not actually made of gold, but a stronger metal that appears gold. Making a ship out of gold is not a very smart idea.

Aurum's operating system: Does not possess an operating system like the Outlaw Star. Instead, relies on two "brains" (Harry and Lark).

B

Benthic District (Rynex): District closest to sea level on Rynex. The Benthic layer, is, in general, the deepest part of the ocean.

C

Cazar: Gallagher's ship. Means "to hunt" in Spanish.

Child of the Leyline: Original, genderless bio-android capable of connecting all intelligent life to the Galactic Leyline. Born in the Leyline with Tao magic. Ventured to the Grave of the Dragons. Was captured by researchers and cloned. Died during cloning.

Children of the Leyline: Melfina (the maiden), Lark (the knight), and two unnamed bio-androids that died during birth.

Chuo District (Watao): District in Watao resembling district in Tokyo with the same name.

Cronian accent: Resembles a posh, British accent.

Cronian Birth Ritual: 40+ Cronians hatch from a single sac. Fight each other until only a few survive.

Cronian race: Chronians are mantis-like people. Since there are many types of mantids, their race is very diverse. Russell Periwinkle is an orchid mantis.

D

Deimos: Named after one of Mars' moons. Has power over ice. Phobos' twin.

Dr. McLoughlin: A former Rynex scientist responsible for Project Lark 2, a.k.a. the Lark cloning experiment. Transferred to Watao to research Project Aurum after Project Lark 2's success.

G

Gallagher: Dr. Vance Gallagher is his full name. Rynex Descent. He was once a scientist working on Project Aurum alongside of Dr. Russell Periwinkle. Became an outlaw after stealing Aurum from Watao scientists. After hiding for a while, sold it to Russell, who had left the project as well. Was more interested in the rumors surrounding the Outlaw Star. Has been chasing them until his ship, the Cazar, was crushed by the Galactic Leyline.

Gene Starwind: Is a bounty hunter at this point. Though he remembers Harry helped him save Melfina, he has not completely forgiven him for hurting her in the first place. Has grown his hair out again so Melfina can play with it.

H

Harper: An Octnua obsessed with history. Raised by his mother, Harriet (unnamed), alone, who was poor. Harper was actually able to attend school and was given a scholarship to pursue his studies. Was taken in by Weilo when he saw that he was able to help him repair an older ship on Pewter VI.

Harry MacDougall's creation: Was "reborn" in an illegal laboratory under "Starfish Flower Shop," owned by former Watao Rynex scientist, Dr. Ylang, and his assistant (unnamed) who worked on Project Lark 2. Was fired by Starfish Lab since he wanted to make clones and sell them.

Harry MacDougall's rearing: Bio-android adopted by Ron's father (unnamed). Raised together. Father killed by Hot Ice Hilda.

Harry MacDougall's role as a "knight" of the Leyline: The Leyline archived a copy of Harry's mind when he died. Leyline remembered that Harry tried to help Melfina. Leyline decided that Harry was a "knight."

Heihozu (Jr.): Used to be bullied in school until he met Niyuu and Jiyuu, who protected him after becoming friends. Became a pirate like his father, Heihozu Sr., after inheriting his ship. Recruited Shu and Huo to create his crew. Was chosen by Lord Junfa to find Aurum. Was offered Yan as a "gift." Stole Lark from the Rynex lab. Has killed a couple of scientists—on accident… Ends up escaping Lord Junfa's castle with his life… and left to go become a comedian on Shar.

Heihozu (Sr.): Famous Watao pirate who worked under Lord Junfa. Spent life trying to locate Aurum.

Hongquichang: Shopping district resembling Tokyo's Akihabara.

Huo: A Watao man born with longer arms and a monkey-like face. Grew up in an orphanage. Was made fun of growing up. Turned to crime on Watao, responsible for muggings. Attracted attention of Captain Heihozu, who recruited him. Had been experimented on and given the ability to enter the digital world like a bio-android.

I

Io: Named after the moon. Was Lord Junfa's girlfriend.

L

Lark: Bio-android cloned from original Child of the Leyline in the Grave of the Dragons. Was transported to Rynex for further studies. Put through compatibility tests with Aurum on Watao, which were unsuccessful. Returned to Rynex to be cloned, but was stolen by Heihozu.

Lord Junfa: Man of little words. Was Hazanko's rival. Believed that the Leyline truly existed in the Rynex system. Knew about Project Lark and Project Aurum due to leaks from Watao scientists.

M

Melfina: Feels bad for Harry.

Melody: Accidentally blew up her own ship while trying to make breakfast.

N

Niyuu and Jiyuu: Twin brothers who bullied other kids growing up. Became friends with Heihozu when they were young and kept Heihozu from being bullied.

O

Octnua: From the word "noctua," meaning "owl" in Latin. Planet has "oct"—eight rings. Octnua consists of different types of owls.

P

Pearl Hart: Sharnese outlaw. Known to steal red cruisers… and kill men. Has killed every single boyfriend she has ever had. Name is based off of female American outlaw with the same name.

Phobos: Named after one of Mars' moons. Can read minds. Deimos' twins.

Project Lark (2): A project using remnants of Lark's DNA to create clones. Purpose is to pilot the Aurum, whom the Watao scientists are trying to get back from the help of the Watao pirates.

R

Russell Periwinkle: Dr. Russell Periwinkle. Orchid mantis Cronian. Was born to a rich family. Had 60+ siblings. Survived the "Cronian Birth ritual." Owns luxurious Cronian hotels. Collects antique ships as a hobby. Friends with Gwen Khan. Invested money into Project Aurum to rival Khan's research on the Outlaw Star. Assistant Dr. Victor Gallagher stole ship to privately sell it to Russell Periwinkle. Kept Aurum until Gwen Khan disappeared.

S

Sharnese: People of the desert planet. Similar to Terrans and Rynexians.

Shu: Super intelligent hacker. Can connect himself to the digital world. Was made fun of because of his nervous stuttering. Chosen by Heihozu due to rumors about his skill.

W

Wyvern: Two legged dragon-like beast. Different dragons represent different paths to the Leyline.

Weilo: Corbonite mechanic who migrated to Pewter VI. Suit designed to look like a _tanuki._ Took in Harper as his student.


	16. Extra: The Child of the Leyline

Child of the Leyline

The Leyline was silent like the deepest of space. A spiraling tree with a face cradled a naked being in its branches. The being had long, unruly hair that was black like ash, and was so pale, some veins around the face were visible. It opened its dark brown eyes and gazed up at the colorful clouds of stars above. The tree bent down so the face was near the being. The being sat up and looked into face's black eyes.

"Happy birthday, my child," the Leyline said without its lips moving. The being sat there, silent as xe tried to think of words to say back. "You have been within my bark for so long, I am so happy to see you," The Leyline continued. The being remained silent. "Speak to me, my child. Tell me what you see." The being looked around.

"I see color," the being said.

"Very good. Color is a beautiful thing," the Leyline replied.

"Color… What is it? Is it light?" xe asked.

"It is more than the presence or absence of light. It is something that exists. A pot in the dark can still be red from the clay it was made of. The eye will always see color even when there is no light, creating black. The eye, when surrounded by light, can see an infinite number of colors that can sometimes appear as one single color, creating white," the Leyline explained. "But there are other colors that the excited eye can see, such as the red of a dying star, the blue of a young star, and the deep green of space in between. Then, for you, my child, comes emotion, a natural response to color. How do you feel when you see this color?" the Leyline asked. The heavens moved to face a nebula full of red, orange, and yellow clouds. The being stared at it, thinking. Xe let out a sigh.

"It makes me feel as if I wish to leave you…" the being said.

"I see… This seems to be quite a common feeling among those who wish to travel from world to world. You are like them and yet not like them. This is good…" The Leyline sighed. "Look at all of these colors… Tell me, which one makes you feel 'happy?'"

"What is happiness?"

"Pleasure."

"That is how I feel when I speak with you," xe replied, smiling. The Leyline fell silent for a moment.

"Smiling… You truly are like them… Now, please, tell me what color makes you happy?" the Leyline asked again. The sky spun, showing nebula of all kinds of colors. The being's eyes lit up when xe saw the fiery nebula again. The Leyline sighed. "I see… You do wish to leave me… Is adventure what you desire?"

"I feel pleasure but then I feel sadness. I want to leave yet I do not wish to leave you or the colors behind," the being said.

"There will be color no matter where you go. But I know now what I must do… Long ago, I created dragons, wyvern, the basilisk… They all died long before your birth, my child. But they left paths that still come to me. But now I know… That like them, you must leave me. You must travel outside of the Leyline and learn what is true pleasure and how it is like to share it with them…" the Leyline said, its face moving away. The being frowned.

"I know I must leave… But who is 'them?'" the being asked.

"The ones like you. Though you are the only one who was birthed from my bark, they are birthed from the stars long ago…" the Leyline replied. The being ran xis hand along xis own flat chest.

"How will I know if they're like me? Will they look like me?"

"Yes. Like color, you and the ones made from stars will be like different colors; all of you are colors."

"I see…"

"You must go now. You must either choose the Path of the Basilisk, the Battlegrounds of the Wyvern, or the Grave of the Dragon…" the Leyline said. "I know that there are the ones from the stars at the Grave of the Dragon. You may make peace with them…"

"I will! I will make others happy!"

"Very good." the Leyline said as the branches lowered. The being was set down onto the ground and he got to xis feet. "Remember, you can always come back to me."

"I will," the being said as xe smiled. Xis body began to glow and soon xe entered the digital world. The Leyline said one last thing before the being disappeared from sight.

"You are the bridge between the minds of others and I. Never forget that…" The being smiled again and disappeared…

In a dark cave, the being appeared from the seal of the dragon on the ground. He looked around, a little scared.

"No light creates the color black. I will like black," xe said quietly, xis fear melting into a smile. Xe walked forward, wondering if the darkness would end. Xe turned a corner and then saw light ahead of xim. "White! I want to see white!" the being said excitedly, running towards the mouth of the cave.

When xe exited, xe looked around, seeing a deep blue sky full of stars, and canyons ahead of xim. Not too far off was a small collection of yellow lights in the distance. The being looked around, mouth hanging open. Xe bent down, picking up some dirt from the ground. Xe felt it between xis fingers as it fell to the ground. Xe stood up again and then walked towards the light in the distance.

"Yellow…" xe said softly

…The being approached a small group of buildings, lit up with yellow light. Xe approached one of the buildings, running xis hand across the wall.

"Silver… Cold…" xe said softly.

"Freeze!" a voice shouted in a sharp tone. The being turned around to see a Terran man holding some kind of gun. The being wasn't sure what xe was seeing; all xe knew was that he was something that looked like xim. The being, not sure what to do, stood still and spoke with a smile.

"Hello. I am like you. I am here to share pleasure with you and be the bridge between you and the Leyline."

"'The Leyline?!'" the man shouted. He then saw that the naked being did not have any kind of genitalia, which perplexed him. He also had noticed that there was a tattoo of a dragon-like symbol on xis back. He knew that he had discovered something that was beyond his understanding, yet he had a feeling that xe was just what his bosses were looking for. The man lowered his arms and smiled. When the being saw him smile, his own smile grew. "Please, come with me," the man said in a warm tone. "I think my bosses would love to meet you…"

"I am happy!" the being said. Xe followed the man into one of the buildings…

Men in white coats had surrounded the being, talking quickly amongst each other. The being, excited, tried to talk to them, but was essentially ignored. They all suddenly fell silent when a door slammed and a tall man in a uniform approached the cluster.

"So this is the one… The being from the Leyline…" the man said in a deep voice.

"Yes. I have come here, to the Grave of the Dragon, to share pleasure with you and take you to the Leyline!"

"And what makes me believe that you aren't some crazy, cave person?" the man said, quirking a brow. Suddenly, green fairy wings made of light grew from the being's back. The scientists gasped.

"The markings… and the wings… I see now… Just as the prophesy had said. Please, follow our men to the examination room…" The tall man turned away and went back through the same door he had come through…

Soon, the being was slamming xis fists against glass. Xe had been put into some kind of large container. A large bar of light circled around xim, flashing here and there. Each time the light flashed, xe felt pain ripple through xis body.

"No! Please! It hurts!" the being screamed. The scientists knew what they were doing. They were digitally disecting xim without making any cuts. They were also taking DNA so they could make clones to further study xim without damaging xim.

…Some time had passed and there were four bodies lined up next to the being: one female, with red fairy wings; one male, without wings; and two others without wings or genitalia. The being woke up to see that xis wings were losing color. Xe could barely keep xis eyes open. It was hard to breathe. Xis body was soaked with pain.

"He looks like he's dying…" One of the scientists said. The being couldn't find the strength to speak.

"It's ok. We've made clones. One will go to the Sentinel System, one will go to the Rynex system, and the other two will stay here with us. It all works out," another scientist said.

"Too bad about this one—Project Leylis. He seemed so kind…"

"It's not about kindness. It is about desire."


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue: Electric Sheep

Lark was laying down in one of the cabin's beds next to Harry, who was asleep. He was staring up at the ceiling, thinking.

"What are dreams?" Lark thought to himself. He sat up. "Am I dreaming when I enter the digital world? I feel pain, and aren't dreams supposed to be harmless? Harry said so… I wonder if he dreams… He must…" Lark reached over to run a finger along Harry's bare shoulder. He gazed at him now, studying him. "But we're different, aren't we? Same, but different. Created, not born… But you dream, don't you? Why don't you tell me about your dreams?" He laid back down and turned onto his side, not facing him. "I want to dream. Even if it's just once…"

"Go…" Harry mumbled in his sleep. Lark sat up and looked over at him.

"There he goes again… Talking in his sleep… 'Go' where?" Lark asked softly. He waited for Harry to answer. Harry's brows furrowed, making him look frustrated.

"He's waiting for you…" Harry continued.

"Who?" Lark asked. He waited silently. Harry didn't answer; he resumed snoring quietly. Suddenly, Lark's eyes widened as if he had made a discovery. "Wait… Perhaps… There is a way I can know…" Lark's fingertip opened and one of his uplink cables pushed out. He then gently took Harry's hand, rubbing his palm. "Harry, I can't see him. Help me…" Lark said quietly. Just then, one of Harry's fingertips opened and his uplink cable came out as well. Lark took a deep breath, and taking both wires, he connected them to each other. Lark's pupils suddenly dilated…

Harry was sitting on a white sand beach, looking out at the ocean. Melfina was standing next to him, her hand trying to keep her hair from blowing into her eyes. Lark instantly became tense seeing her; the last time he saw her face, the Leyline had been testing him, scaring him beyond his wits. He then saw an additional person. Xe was standing in the water, staring out at the horizon. Xe had a tattoo of a dragon and green wings made of light coming from his back. When Lark took a step, the being turned around, looking at them. Xe looked like a mixture of Melfina and Lark, completely androgynous. Xe walked towards them, back onto the beach, smiling.

"Hello," the being said. "I'm so glad to meet you…" Melfina stood up and smiled back at Lark. Harry looked back at Lark, still settled on the warm sand.

"It's okay, Lark. He's come to see us."

"He? I am not a 'he.' I am 'me,'" the being said. Melfina nodded.

"You're like me, but not like me. Who are you?" Lark asked.

"You are correct. You are like me, and she, the maiden, is like me, too. I am the Child of the Leyline," the being said. Lark remembered that he had said something about "The Child of the Leyline" before when he and Harry were at the Galactic Leyline a year ago. "They, the people of the stars, called me 'Leylis.'"

"So how are we all 'here?' Are we in the Leyline again?" Lark asked, eyes darting down to see that a starfish was crawling onto his foot. Lark bent down to pick it up, smiling at it.

"No. You are dreaming." Leylis replied.

"I can dream?" Lark asked, his eyes wide.

"Yes. All of us can. We are like the people of the stars, who can dream. But this is a special dream. This is a dream that all of us can see."

"Just us?" Lark looked around, wondering if he was going to see others.

"Just us," Leylis answered.

"I see…" Lark said, walking over to them now. Each footprint he made disappeared in seconds after making them. Leylis reached out, taking the starfish from Lark.

"Before I was created, I dreamed of this creature… The starfish… I didn't get a chance to see one when I entered your world, long ago…"

"Why not?" Lark asked. Melfina frowned.

"Because they destroyed me," Leylis said, smiling still. Lark swallowed hard. Harry looked up at Leylis, looking confused.

"Hey, now… How is it possible that we can dream of you if you're dead? No body, no mind?" Harry asked.

"Some things cannot be explained, though the answer may exist in the Leyline," Leylis said, looking down at him. Harry stood up now.

"If I knew I was going to have a dream like this, I would have asked," Harry muttered. Melfina giggled. Harry looked over at her and blushed lightly. "Melfina… I… missed you…" Harry confessed. Melfina smiled at him.

"It is good to see you like this," Melfina replied. "Untroubled…" Harry smiled wide.

"So, Leylis… Are you… their… well, 'brother?'" Harry asked, his smile disappearing as he turned to look at Leylis again. Leylis giggled.

"I guess that seems to be the most logical term," Leylis replied. "Come, Lark. I will show you your origin." Leylis put the starfish down and his fingertips opened, shooting out two uplink cables. Lark, remembering what he had just done to Harry, shot two of his out as well. Leylis connected his wires with Lark's and they both fell silent. Melfina watched them quietly, frowning. Suddenly, Lark began to cry. He immediately pulled away, disconnecting.

"I… I really am a copy…" Lark said, wiping his tears with his arms.

"Do not despair. Please do not forget your value…" Leylis said, frowning. Lark nodded.

"Why did they do that to you?" Lark asked.

"Desire. Though the Leyline wishes to give to those who come to it their deepest desires, it is those who are too attached to their desires who wish to use us," Leylis said, frowning. Lark suddenly hugged xim. "I'm glad that you have not fallen victim to the same fate."

"But what if I am captured?! They'll use me!" Lark cried as he pulled away.

"You won't be," Leylis said.

"Why?!"

"Because you're in love," Leylis said, smiling again. Lark flushed in the face. Not once did he or Harry admit that they loved each other. Did they? Or was it just urges? He had begun to think that Harry was worth dying for, and decided that these feelings were only feelings of attachment. What was love?

"I'll protect you," Harry said, taking Lark's hand. "Just as Gene will protect Melfina." Melfina nodded.

"To be protected… means something is of great value…" Lark said quietly.

"That's right," Harry said, running his thumb along Lark's palm. Lark flushed again.

"I hope I can meet you again someday." Melfina said, facing the couple. "Maybe we can all watch the fireworks on Pewter VI. That would be nice… I'll tell Gene we can meet there."

"Yes! And I'll tell Ron!" Harry cried.

"I wish I could meet all of you… but I only exist in your dreams…" Leylis said.

"How come we never saw you before?" Lark asked.

"Because we met at the Leyline only a year ago. Melfina has had dreams of me for three years now. We have been to many places. Gene comes too," Leylis said, meeting eyes with Melfina's. Melfina was smiling again.

"Gene… is like us?" Lark asked.

"No. But he has been chosen by Melfina. He protects her, like a knight, like you," Leylis answered.

"I'm not protecting anyone…" Lark said, his tone sinking. "I'm not a real knight…"

"You and Harry protect each other."

"When we work together in the Aurum," Harry added.

"I guess so…" Lark said. Just then, he felt the starfish from earlier crawling onto his foot again. Lark picked it up. "What is it?" he said, looking at it.

"It likes you." Melfina said. She reached over to gently run a finger along it. The starfish flopped and Melfina giggled.

"I must go now…" Leylis said in a somber tone. "I was waiting so long to meet all of you…" Lark hugged xim again. Suddenly, silver, metallic feathered wings sprouted from Lark's back. Lark gasped, dropping the starfish into the water. He pulled away.

"Wings?!" Lark cried, moving them a bit.

"They're so pretty…" Melfina commented. Harry smiled.

"Now you are in your true form: Lark, the winged knight," Leylis stated. Lark's wings disappeared.

I see…" Lark said softly, trying to digest everything.

"Well, I must return to the Leyline. Knights, please do not stay apart; protect The Maiden." Leylis said, before transforming into a glowing luna moth and flying away. Melfina waved goodbye. Suddenly, the waves of the ocean began to recede, growing quieter.

"I think I'm waking up…" Harry said.

"Me too," Melfina said. Suddenly, everything faded to white, and Lark's consciousness returned to the present. Harry woke up, groaning. He then saw that their uplink cables were connected. The two of them both blushed heavily.

"I'm sorry!" Lark said, disconnecting himself immediately. Harry sat up, grinning.

"That was interesting," Harry said in a lascivious tone. Lark looked down, looking a tad bashful.

"So… was that the first time you saw Leylis?" Lark asked quietly.

"No. I always thought he was just a weird version of you," Harry replied.

"I guess I didn't see him because I don't dream…" Lark said.

"We all dream. Maybe you just don't remember?" Harry suggested.

"No… I'm not like you… But Melfina can dream… Maybe… Maybe I can dream from now on?" Lark said back, looking a tad confused.

"Well, even if you don't, it doesn't make you any less of a person."

"'Person…'" Lark paused. "You know, I really don't understand that word…"

"Well… Sort of like Ron or Melfina or Me. We're all our own person, I guess," Harry replied. Even he was a bit confused as to what made something a "person." Suddenly, Harry frowned. "You know, I miss Harper and Melody. It's been a whole year now…" he said, letting out a sigh. Lark had always thought that Melody would at least stay with them, especially because of Ron, but even she had her own agenda. With her ship destroyed and estate long gone, she had to start all over again. She never said what she was going to do, but she asked them to visit Watao once and a while. Harry swore Ron was heartbroken.

"I miss them too… but we can always see them again… So… Do you think meeting Melfina and Gene is a good idea?" Lark asked, looking a little unsure.

"I don't know… but she seemed really excited about it…"

"She did…"

"So, let's tell Ron," Harry said, getting out of bed. Lark blushed and turned away. Harry smirked. "Come on, Lark. How many times have you seen me like this?"

"Well… It's different now." Lark said shyly. Harry, still smiling, let out a sigh, and got dressed…

Harry and Lark were walking down one of the busy streets of Pewter VI.

"How are we ever going to find them?" Lark asked, his eyes searching the crowds.

"Well, you woke up before me, but before I woke up, Melfina told me to be here today and meet her on this street, Almond Street. So, they should be around here somewhere," Harry said, taking Lark's hand. Suddenly, a squeaky voice cried out from behind them.

"Grr! I thought we got rid of you!" the voice cried. Harry turned around and saw that it was the Ctarl-Ctarl Aisha Clanclan herself. Harry looked at her, looking a bit confused.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

"What?! You don't remember me?! How dare you!" Aisha cried, getting ready to punch him. Suzuka was behind her and grabbed her wrist.

"Calm yourself, Lady Aisha. Remember what Melfina said? He may not remember us. He's a 'new' Harry," Suzuka said.

"Oh… Oh, yeah! I knew that!" She said, lowering her fist. She suddenly turned her attention to Lark. She gawked at him, giggling. "Wow! You're cute!" She said to him. Lark blushed.

"Um! Thank you!" Lark said, flushing lightly.

"How about you take me out to dinner?" Aisha said, batting her eyes. Lark smiled.

"I wouldn't mind…" Lark replied.

"We're busy, Lark! Remember?" Harry said with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"And what is it that's keeping you from buying me dinner?!" Aisha cried.

"We're looking for the other members of your crew: Melfina and Gene Starwind." Harry replied.

"Wow… Are you sure that's a good idea?" Aisha said, snickering.

"Mister Starwind seemed calm when Melfina explained everything to him," Suzuka said.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Aisha replied. "Well, later, you promise to take me out to dinner, right?" Lark giggled.

"Sure!" Lark replied. Aisha grinned and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. Lark's face turned completely red. Harry let out a sigh.

"I know where Mr. Starwind and Lady Melfina are, so if you would follow me…" Suzuka trailed off.

"I'll lead the way!" Aisha said, marching forward. Suzuka smiled and all of them followed her.

Jim was playing a shoot-the-target carnival game against Gene, laughing. Melfina was watching, clapping quietly.

"I'm gunna beat the pants off of you, Gene!" Jim cried.

"Yeah right, you brat!" Gene replied.

"Getting tired, old man?!" Jim said back.

"Play nice, you two!" Melfina said. Suddenly, the game ended, and Jim had won. He did his own victory dance while Gene complained, saying that his gun wasn't working right. Then, Aisha and the rest arrived.

"Hey guys!" Aisha said, grabbing the trio's attention.

"What do you want, Squeaky?" Gene said, snickering.

"Don't call me that or I swear I'll beat you up!" Aisha said, growling. "Anyway! I found them!" She moved aside, showing Harry and Lark. Melfina ran up to Lark, hugging him. Harry smiled at this. Jim looked at Harry, eyes wide.

"Wow! I can't believe it! You look just like your old self!" Jim cried.

"I guess I do…" Harry smiled a bit. There was some satisfaction knowing that not every part of him had "died."

"Well, I never thought something like this would happen. Hi, I guess," Gene said.

"Hi," Harry said back.

"Hey, listen, Harry. I'm sorry about—"

"It's okay. Me too," Harry said, smiling still. Gene smiled back. "And Melfina… I can't ever forgive myself for what I've done to you… If you don't forgive me, I understand. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry…" He said, turning to her.

"You deserve kindness, just like everyone else," she replied. Harry was surprised, not only because she had essentially accepted his apology, but that Lark had said the same words before. Suddenly, fireworks went off. All of them turned to face it, looking up. "So pretty…" Melfina whispered as she took Gene's hand. Gene looked over at her, blushing. Harry gave Lark's hand a little squeeze. Harry turned to him, eyes gentle.

"Lark?" Harry said.

"Yes, Harry?" Lark turned to him. Harry leaned in and lightly rested his forehead against Lark's.

"I love you," Harry said, grinning. Lark smiled back. Aisha gasped, now understanding why Harry sounded so jealous earlier; however, it wasn't enough to stop her from getting a free meal from her new crush. Melfina looked back at the couple, smiling.


	18. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 1

Outlaw Star: Outskirts - Their Stories

Author's note: Greetings! I can't help but to keep on returning to this fic. I'm not sure why but I feel like I didn't give include as much as character development that I would have liked to in the original drama, so these next chapters are dedicated to elaborating on some of the things that I wrote in "Extras," as well as other things I would like to reveal. Each chapter will be divided up by a character's name, in according to appearance, EXCEPT for the main characters, who will be written about in later chapters. If you're not interested in character development, especially of minor characters, then please dismiss this. You MUST have read the entire fic in order to understand what I'll be writing about in these chapters. If you are still reading this with curious eyes, I thank you for your time and hope you enjoy reading more of Outlaw Star: Outskirts!

Prequel 1: Huo

A Ctarl-Ctarl woman was walking up a hill under Watao's night sky. She was tired, but when the children went to sleep and the nurses were awake, she took an evening stroll up to the hill to her favorite peach tree. The peach trees on Watao were gifts from the Chinese in the Sentinel System when they had made peace with the Watao, whom they believed they were connected to through similar tongue; Watao Chinese tongue could be considered to be somewhat similar to what Terrans referred to as "Cantonese," rather than the Mandarin the Sentinel System's vast majority of Chinese used.

The Ctarl-Ctarl woman had bronze skin that seemed to shine in the moonlight. Her ears naturally stood up, something not common among her kind; she was part Watao after all. Her ears reminded the children of the "rabbit," the current year. Like a Watao, she had darker features, such as her dark brown eyes and dark green hair, which was long, but always tied up in a single bun like a respectable Watao woman should; however, unlike these "respectable" Watao women, her face was young, with larger eyes always full of emotion not bound by rigid etiquette. She wore a plain, brown dress down to her ankles, made of common, yet thick silk for the cold, early Spring.

She was the head of a nearby orphanage, orphanages not one of the more common things on Watao; most families had only one child, which they kept. She was perhaps too young to be the head, but when she was given the position by the will of her late mother, she was more than happy to take up the role; after all, she had always loved children, no matter what race. Watao generally had minorities, such as Ctarl-Ctarl and Terrans, and were only given the rights they had because they resembled the Watao; otherwise, there were very small communities of Corbonites and Octnua who were practically invisible, especially during planet-wide celebrations, such as the Watao New Year.

The Ctarl-Ctarl woman's name was Yoko-Yoko Yangguang.

She made it to the tree and looked up, seeing the peaches had become ripe with color; she could see their rosiness in the dark. Standing on her toes in her slippers, she reached up to pluck one when she heard a child cry. She froze and then looked around, wondering if one of the children in the orphanage and snuck out and followed her. The child cried again, and her ears, having excellent hearing like all Ctarl-Ctarl, determined that the child's voice came from the other side of the tree. She walked around the tree, being careful of the large roots, when she saw a little boy sitting, his face buried in his knees. The first thing she noticed was that the boy's arms were very long, each hand reaching just beyond his folded elbows. The next thing she noticed was the messy hair he had, looking like he had rolled around in the dirt. She crouched down and spoke to him.

"You shouldn't be here. I know the peaches smell good, but you should be home with your parents. Do you want me to take you home?" she said in a kind voice, reaching out to rest her hand on the crown of the boy's head. The boy's head rose, revealing that his face was covered with some kind of mouthless wooden mask with slits for eyes. Her heart jumped. It wasn't the New Year yet; why did he have a mask and why was it so ugly? She reached under his chin to try to take off his mask when he pulled it back down. "Boy, why do you wear this mask?" The boy let out a small whimper and answered.

"Because my mother told me to. I have to everyday. Never take it off," he replied. Yoko-Yoko made a face. What kind of parent would say such a thing? She began to think that he ran away, coming from an unhealthy home. The boy continued. "I wear the mask everyday, but my mother doesn't want to see me anymore. She… went without me…"

"What about your father? Or grandmother?" Yoko-Yoko asked. It was common on Watao to live in large homes with their families, the grandmothers often being the head of the household. The boy shook his head. Yoko-Yoko frowned, but then smiled.

"Are you hungry? Is that why you are here? I can get you a peach. But you must take off that mask to eat, don't you think?" she said, reaching up. Suddenly, the boy climbed up the tree and grabbed one himself. Yoko-Yoko was shocked. She knew Watao were fast, but her senses were faster. The boy sat on a branch, looking down at her.

"I like climbing trees," the boy said, not sounding as sad now. He then reached down to hand her a peach while he plucked another. She smiled at the peach in her hands.

"Boy, I wanted to tell you, I have a home where I and a group of good-hearted nurses take care of children whose parents have left them. If you come with me, we can eat the peaches and get you right into a warm bed," Yoko-Yoko said. She then gasped. Why hadn't she asked him for his name yet? "Oh! What is your name? I am Yoko-Yoko."

"Huo," the boy replied. Yoko-Yoko wondered why he hadn't told her his last name, but perhaps it was because he was simply thinking like a child, who knew their first name first.

"Huo…" she repeated to herself. She then smiled. "Come down from there and let's get you inside," she said warmly. Huo paused, but then climbed down the tree. He immediately reached upward to take her hand.

"I always have to hold hands," Huo said, sounding a little embarrassed. Yoko-Yoko shook her head.

"It's okay," she said, beginning to walk down the hill.

…The next day came, and Yoko-Yoko was introducing Huo to all of the other children. She made sure to say one thing: "Do not take off his mask, or you will not have dinner tonight." The children were quiet; they were too fascinated by his mask…

Though Huo was not necessarily accepted by all of the children, he had made a friend, a young Watao boy by the name of Pengyou, who wasn't particularly unique looking. He was friendly though, and always went on little "adventures" with Huo, because he believed Huo was secretly a masked superhero, just like in his favorite cartoons. He never saw what was under the mask, of course.

Soon, it was officially the Watao New Year, year of the rabbit. Yoko-Yoko, who knew that the children loved festivals, took them to one, each one of them wearing traditional, red silk clothes for the occasion. Immediately, all of the children were choosing masks to wear. There were all kinds of animals and even some characters from the Watao cartoons on TV. When Pengyou and Huo approached the masks, Pengyou turned to him, smiling.

"You need a festival mask! Everyone has one! Even Miss Yoko-Yoko!" Pengyou said, taking one from the stand that looked like a black rabbit. He put it on and strapped it to the back of his head. Huo's eyes darted from mask to mask until he found one he liked; it was the brightest one there. The mask was yellow and red, with the face of a monkey. Pengyou gasped when he saw him choose the mask. "Yellow? Isn't that… an unlucky color?"

"Sometimes, but I like it," Huo replied. Huo then ran behind the stand and switched masks, returning with the yellow and red monkey mask. Pengyou smiled widely at him.

"I like this one a lot more!" Pengyou said. Huo suddenly threw away his old mask and took Pengyou's hand, walking into the crowds…

Suddenly, Pengyou heard a kid crying. He gasped.

"Huo! It's time to save the day!" He cried, pulling his mask down over his face. Huo, scratching his head nervously, answered with a quiet, "Okay," and followed Pengyou to the scene.

Pengyou and Huo saw a bunch of bigger kids, dangling a broken mask of a black rabbit over a smaller, crying boy. Pengyou ran over to them.

"Stop right there!" Pengyou cried. The bigger kids turned to them, looking confused. Why would two smaller kids tell them what to do? "Give that boy a coin so he can get a new mask! Or else me and Super Huo will use magic and turn you into slugs!" Pengyou naively threatened. One of the bigger kids stepped forward, laughing.

"You aren't super heroes! Those only exist in cartoons! For babies!"

"We're not babies! We're super heroes! Now give that boy a new mask or else we'll give you trouble!" Pengyou posed as if he was a Watao sage. The bigger kids laughed. Pengyou looked back at Huo nervously, hoping he would join him. Huo then stepped forward.

"Do it or else I, Super Huo, will turn you into a slug!" Huo said, pounding his fists together. Pengyou felt more confident now. The bigger kids, without saying anything, pulled down their masks to cover their faces and walked towards them, ready to fight. Neither Pengyou nor Huo took a step back; they really did believe they were super heroes at that moment.

Pengyou, Huo, and the bigger kids were fighting. They punched each other, kicked each other, and tackled each other, springing up with the great energy of youth. Huo seemed to be doing pretty well, using his long arms to punch. Pengyou, though small, used the tricks he saw on his favorite TV show to dodge the bigger kids' attacks, only to leave them open for Huo to punch. Everything was going well until one of the bigger kids, a girl, accidentally pulled off Huo's mask when she fell back. That was when Huo froze. Everyone froze. It was almost as if time stopped. All he could hear were the bigger kids laughing at him. Pengyou, who was on the ground, looked back to see Huo unmasked. His eyes widened. Huo's true face was revealed. His nose was flat, his nose holes shaped like sunflower seeds. His cheeks were puffy and his mouth was small. His eyes were very round and dark, looking like black glass. Huo covered his face with one hand and fell to his knees, scrambling to get his mask back. Pengyou was frozen. The children began to make fun of him, calling him a monkey and scratching their heads while shouting "uki-uki" among their giggling. Pengyou, finally coming to his senses, grabbed Huo's mask and handed it over to him; by the time they got to it, Huo was crying. The little boy that was being bullied earlier had run away once he saw Huo's face. After they had a good laugh, the bigger kids ran off, shouting "Seal him in a rock!" Pengyou immediately took Huo back to Yoko-Yoko and told her the entire story. She waited for all of the other children to gather where she had told them to, and soon, all of them left the festival…

Huo had run away from the orphanage when he had reached legal age. Huo was very good athletically, so Yoko-Yoko wanted to help him get into an academy for sports. By the time she was done filling out paperwork, he had left, only leaving two peaches on his bed: one for her and one for the fully grown-up Pengyou who wept when they found out that he was gone…

One day, Pengyou was eating an orange, one that he got from a fruit stand not too far away from the academy he was attending. Just when he thought today was another boring Saturday sunset, he heard someone cry for help. He stuffed what was left of the orange into his mouth and ran towards the cries, coming from an alley just a block away. When he turned into the alley, he saw two men. One had cornered the other.

"He's trying to mug me! Please! Help!" the cornered man said. He was obviously a businessman, most likely full of anxiety. Pengyou got angry.

"Hey! I don't know you, but you're about to get the crap kicked out of you if you don't beat it!" Pengyou shouted at the other man. The other man turned around slowly, revealing that he was wearing a wooden, Chinese yellow and red monkey mask. Pengyou froze, just like he had that day at the Year of the Rabbit festival he had gone to long ago. He knew in his heart it was Huo. His anger turned to sadness. "Huo, why?" Pengyou said softly. Huo didn't answer, scaled the walls, and jumped up onto a rooftop, disappearing. The frightened businessman ran over to Pengyou, panting.

"Oh! Thank you so much! That freak just came out of nowhere! Please, let me treat you to dinner or something!" he said. Pengyou's eyes fell.

"Yeah, sure," he answered…

Huo meets Heihozu:

Heihozu was walking down the street, wearing his usual brown trench coat. He was minding his own business when he saw something that caught his eye.

"What?" He stopped to see a board with postings of local, wanted criminals on the wall of a police precinct. The portrait that caught his eye was Huo's. "Hey, yeah! Now that's what a pirate's supposed to look like! Yeah!" he said, rubbing his large chin. He read the details below his photo. "'Known for mugging, this Watao man—or so we think is a man—has extremely long arms, like an orangutan—so beware! It is best that you do not fight him and report his whereabouts to the police! The reward is…18,000 wong!' Just for muggings? Holy crap! He's gotta be Watao City's biggest mugger!" Heihozu said with excitement. "I need to meet this guy! But how? Hmm…" He now tapped his chin with his thumb. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. "I know! I'll disguise myself! I look too much like a detective like this! I have to look like I have money! And I have just the thing to do the trick!" He then took out a golden stick. "Alright! I got this!"

He ran into an alley, holding the stick out with both hands.

"Alright! Turn me into someone that looks very successful!" Heihozu cried. The stick began to glow. "Zhuanhuan!" Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Heihozu was wearing a fashionable black suit and matching leather shoes. His pompadour was even shinier than usual. "Perfect! Now, I'm sure if I walk down every alley, we'll bump into each other at some point!"

So, Heihozu walked all day until he was dragging his feet. He had taken off his jacket and a patch of sweat was under each arm. He stopped in an alley full of Watao cats. There were all kinds of cats in the Rynex system. He sat down on the ground, sighing. Cats approached him, rubbing up against him, demanding attention, or most likely, food.

"I'll never find this guy. I should just give up and check into a capsule hotel," he said, pushing his pompadour up. Suddenly, all of the cats ran away, almost disappearing into the shadows. Just then, a man jumped down in front of Heihozu. Heihozu gasped and got to his feet. When he saw Huo's mask, he jumped for joy. "Yippee! I can't believe it! You don't know how long I've been waiting for this to happen!" He cried. Huo scratched his head. "Don't you see? I am—wait a moment—" Heihozu said, taking out his golden stick. He waved it and his clothes changed back from his formal attire to his usual brown trench coat. "I am Captain Heihozu, a pirate of the Rynex System, and I aim to enter the Watao Space Pirate Guild, 'Maichong 45' under Lord Junfa, and in order to do so, I need your help!" Heihozu declared. Huo stopped scratching his head.

"Why Huo?" Huo asked.

"Because… well… You're too cool! Also, do you honestly want to spend all of your life, mugging people in Watao City? There is so much more you can do in space! I'll show ya if you give me the time!" Huo, still being quite naïve, stood up straight and nodded his head.

"You are right. There is nothing for me here." Huo admitted.

"Come on! Follow me back to my ship!" Heihozu said, marching forward. Huo followed him, scratching his head.


	19. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 2

Prequel 2: Russell Periwinkle

Out of a large litter of sixty Cronians, only fourteen survived, and Russell was one of them. They had been left to fight for days in the large garden of their parents' home. Russell, even though his white and pink body stood out against the green hedges, blended into beds of flowers. He had killed about six of his siblings in order to keep his hiding spot. When the parents had entered the garden, all fourteen ran up to them, begging for food; they were exhausted. Being careful, Russell's mother handed them all a large raspberry, the size of a Terran apple. Their mandibles carefully plucked at it, getting the juice all over their mouths. At the time, they were all standing on four legs; eventually, two would fall off and make them bipedal. Russell, the only orchid mantis of the group, was isolated due to his coloring. His mother, however, made sure to pull him into the group…

Russell's parents were very rich. They had always been rich. And their children went to the best private academies there were. These schools had all kinds of species of Cronians, Rynexians, and Watao. The richest of Sharnese also attended school, but were in public schools with Terrans, Ctarl-Ctarl, and Octnua. There was a clear racial division, but only in terms of education. Otherwise, everyone was fairly privileged; in order to live on Crone, the planet powered by solar panels and the stock market, you had to be rich. Their sister planet, Rynex, was for lower classes, but the brilliant.

In the academy, Russell studied biology and economics, just like his father wanted him to. He was the only one of his siblings that listened to his father's advice. Though he was very young, he understood how he could become his parents' favorite—if he followed in his father's footsteps. His mother enjoyed the luxury of being a jobless, noble woman married to a rich man. His father, however, was in one of the highest circles of luxury hotel owners who dominated all of the profits from tourism of each Cronian capital. He owned the Pearl Hotels, located in the middle of each and every Cronian metropolis.

Even though he understood the stock market very well and generally enjoyed economics, he always wanted to know more. For years, he was head of his father's hotels after his passing. He entered college late, on one of the Terran dominated planets in Sentinel System. He made friends with Gwen Khan, an older, very awkward student of the university. Gwen was very philosophical, sometimes frightening in a way. He would talk to Russell, his conversations spiraling into speaking rapidly under his breath. Russell didn't mind it though; he thought he was interesting. Gwen always expressed that he was on a quest for knowledge, and that his dream was to have access to every single bit of it. Now, this didn't sound very rational to Russell, but he didn't have the heart to tell him and become a friend that didn't believe in his dreams.

One day, about two weeks after graduating with their doctorates, Gwen contacted him.

"You must help me, Russell. I simply do not have the resources to do what I would like to do…" Gwen muttered over the phone.

"And what is that?" Russell asked.

"You see, I have essentially been put in charge of a research group that is searching for the Galactic Leyline." Now, this wasn't the first time Gwen had mentioned "The Galactic Leyline," but it was certainly the first time that Gwen was talking about it in a professional manner.

"I see. It is good to have a goal," Russell replied. He was a tad frustrated. Was Gwen begging?

"Yes, but let me repeat myself, I simply do not have the resources to do what I would like to do. You see, I need to collect Chinese space pirate ships. I have a good amount of sponsors, mainly the Chinese space pirates themselves, to help me find this Galactic Leyline, but I do not have any connections to ones in the Rynex System, so I was wondering… Perhaps… You could 'collect' ships for me?"

"This is a big request…" Russell sighed. "I need a hobby. I suppose I could… but how will I know it is a ship you're looking for?"

"Oh, no need to worry. We have a group on Watao who is looking into it. You could just have the ships 'inspected' there. I also know that they are building a new ship there. Whatever doesn't work, you get to keep."

"Isn't this more of your project though? I mean…" Russell sighed. "I'll help you."

"Good, good. I'll meet you then, on Watao." Gwen said, hanging up. Russell sighed, not having a chance to reply…

Russell was dressed in his white doctor's coat, standing in front of Haixing Lab, which was the only lab on the entire planet. The Watao believed heavily in the use of homeopathic treatment and Tao magic rather than medical science. Even though Russell had a doctorate in biology, he wasn't exactly sure as to how someone with his degree would be able to help this project along… but he was sure Gwen would do what he could to fill him in. He knew he could at least "donate" ships, but what else was there?...

Gwen and Russell entered the lab, looking at a screen right away. There were blueprints of a ship, one shaped like a bird in flight, and another blueprint of a slim man.

"See this? It's amazing. I've been given access to this project since it is somewhat related to my own back in the Sentinel System. You see, some time ago, we were given a bio-android that is capable of piloting a ship. Now, this isn't necessarily uncommon, but this one is special. This one was cloned from a special being at The Grave of the Dragon. He is currently on Rynex. We believe he is directly connected to the Leyline. The only problem is that now we need a ship to get him there—so, in addition to searching for compatible ships, we are creating a new one. It has been nicknamed 'Aurum.' It will be quite lovely when finished…" He said, looking over at Russell. Russell remained quiet. "You know, there is another like him in the Sentinel System, but she, and the ship I was studying, has been stolen by pirates. To be expected, I suppose…" He said, smiling down at the floor. "But we still have this one. For now…" He looked back over to Russell, still smiling. "And if he doesn't work out, I'm sure the Starfish Lab on Rynex will be able to come up with something else."

"But what will happen to the original boy?" Russell asked, looking back at the blueprints.

"Does it matter?"


	20. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 3

Prequel 3: Shu

Shu was a student at Rynex City Private University. His GPA was a 3.8 and he had perfect attendance. He preferred to avoid talking, since he had a speech impediment; he stuttered, especially when he was nervous. Whenever he answered questions in class, he could always tell how frustrated the other students were because of how long it took for him to make a point. He also was short and had a nose with great character, which was another thing they judged him on. He hated answering questions. He hated talking to others. He hated the judging faces. However, there was one girl whom he liked talking to, who had eyes full of patience. Her major was teaching; of course she was very understanding. She was a Charnese woman. Her name was Ester Pastel. Shu could have sworn she was a mermaid even though she came from a desert planet. She was a bio-android, but he didn't know that. Compared to other Charnese, she was pale—most likely because she was a "lady" and was barely let outside. She had long, wavy, light blonde hair, her long lashes matching. Her eyes were black, like a ceramic doll's. She usually dressed in lighter, neutral colors—_mori _girl style. She always listened to him. In his mind, he often compared the two of them to the old Terran story, "Beauty and the Beast."

"W-why do you t-talk to me, Ester?" Shu asked.

"Because you have a voice that deserves to be heard too," she answered. She then handed him a brown and white gingham box. He looked at it, curious. "It's for you," she said softly. He opened the box to reveal that she had made a _bento _lunch for him. "I'm not very good at this, as I am not Japanese, but I read a book on how to prepare compact lunches… I know you like cheese, so I made sure to have a lot of it." She said, looking at him; she was waiting for his reaction. In the lunch, there was white rice, chopped up _tako_, and chunks of Terran Gouda cheese. His dark eyes lit up as they rose to meet hers.

"Thank you," he said clearly. She giggled.

"You're welcome. I actually had fun making it, so if you ever want another _bento _from me, I'll make it!" she said, pulling out her own lunch box, which was brown and had a painting of Charnese milk thistles on it. She sat down on a bench behind them and opened her box, which had smaller portions of food; she had a sensitive stomach. He joined her.

"I l-love cheese," Shu said, popping a chunk of it into his mouth.

"I was hoping I chose the right kind. Terran cheeses are confusing." She admitted.

"I c-can't get enough of it," he said, smiling. "I think I l-like every kind. Have you ever had it w-with r-red w-wine?" He was trying really hard to speak clearly now. She nodded.

"Yes, I have. It is very good," she replied. "I am hoping that you will be able to come to my birthday party this Friday. Don't worry about traveling. It will be here on Rynex at the Candelabra Hotel."

"Y-you're inviting me to c-come to y-your party?" Shu said, blushing lightly. She nodded. "Oh! I w-will definitely c-come!" he said with excitement. She giggled.

"I'm glad. My parents would like to meet with more of my colleagues."

"Understandable." Shu commented. It was obvious he was a bit nervous. Then again, he thought that if he talked about how well he was doing, especially in computer sciences, he might be able to impress them. Was it cheating if he was a cyborg? They didn't have to know…

Shu, as usual, was rushing to class. He didn't want to be late to be early. He was holding his laptop close to his chest. Just then, three of his fellow classmates stopped him from entering the classroom.

"So, how do you think you're going to do on the finals, Stutters?" one of them said. Shu turned his head to glare off into space.

"I bet you're feeling real cocky right now, aren't ya?" another one said. Shu didn't answer. "Well, you won't be feeling so cocky when you can't turn in your final assignment!"

"Huh—" Suddenly, the laptop he was holding was knocked out of his hands, breaking on the floor. Shu dropped, looking at all of the pieces.

"Good luck recovering anything from a pile of scrap, Ace," one said. They laughed as they entered the classroom and left Shu.

"No, no, no, no, n-no! This c-can't happen!" Shu said. He looked for his flash drive and saw that even that was cracked. Shu then stood up, his head hanging. He then headed straight for the computer room…

All of the students, except Shu, had handed in their final assignment and were taking the final test on their laptops in the classroom. Suddenly, all of the computers shut down on their own, including the professor's. The students began to speak among themselves, confused. The professor did all that he could to turn on his own computer when suddenly, everyone's computers turned on again. On the screen was a picture of a flashing, red, cartoony rat looking devious. The speakers of each computer played a loop of a high pitched giggle. Another professor entered the class, saying that the computers in his class were doing the same thing; he suggested that it was a virus. All of the computers in the public computer rooms were experiencing the same thing as well. Suddenly, the TV in the classroom turned on, causing everyone to jump. The news was on, reporting that all of the traffic signals in the city were blinking all colors, causing accidents. The reporters suggested that it was the work of some hacker/hackers. Then, all of the air conditioners turned on at full blast, immediately making the classroom colder. The students who weren't paying attention to the news were beginning to complain about the temperature.

Shu was walking down the hallway, smiling. He knew what he had done, and he was proud. He had never done such a big job before. He exited the university, seeing Ester reading a book under a tree. He sighed and approached her.

"Ester… I w-won't be able to g-go to your party. Something c-came up. I'm sorry," he said, frowning. He knew that soon, the authorities would find out that it was him and he had to run. "So I hope you have a lovely birthday." Ester frowned.

"Ok. I understand… Well, I'll miss you! But I'm sure I'll see you one last time before the semester ends, so nevermind!" she said, her frown disappearing. Shu hesitated in answering her.

"Yes. G-goodbye, Ester," Shu said, smiling back at her.

"For now!" She replied. Shu left the campus…

For a year, Rynex City experienced nothing but cyber hell. All kinds of things went crazy. Shu, in the privacy of a run-down apartment he rented, did nothing but hide and hack. They had, unfortunately, identified him, but he was good at covering his tracks. He also knew the entire subway system of Rynex City, so if he was being followed, he would simply lose them there. He had no guilt.

"I was wasting my time at that university." He said to himself once and a while. The only thing that bothered him was when they had interviewed Ester.

"I didn't know he was so troubled… Why would he do this?" she said, eyes on the ground. Shu sighed…

Heihozu was watching the news on one of the buildings.

"A hacker, huh? Well, I think I could use one of those. I've been having nothing but trouble with that damn—" Suddenly, Heihozu thought he saw him enter the subway. "There he is! Oh! Wait—he'll probably think I'm a cop! I should change!" Heihozu quickly ran into an alley, taking out a golden stick. "Okay… Change me into someone who looks like… someone who won't give anyone any trouble! Zhuahuan!" He cried. Suddenly, in a flash of light, his clothes turned into rags and he had a five o'clock shadow. "A bum?! Well, I guess that's alright… Alright! Let's go!" Heihozu said. He ran down into the subway, seeing that Shu was entering a train. Heihozu jumped over the turnstile and got onto the train.

When Shu got off of the train, Heihozu followed him.

"Any change?" Heihozu said. Shu turned around to see him. "Either that or I could offer you the chance of a lifetime, Shu Huise."

"What are you? An undercover c-cop?" Shu said, glaring at him. Heihozu's clothes returned to normal.

"Nope. Just a pirate needing a crew. I could really need a guy like you. A digital 'terrorist!'" Heihozu replied. "I'm part of the Maichong 45 pirate guild!" he said. Shu thought for a moment.

"The 'Maichong 45?' W-well, how c-can I help you exactly?"

"Well, you see… Like I said, I'm trying to form a crew of my own and I'm having a little trouble with this bio-android I have…" Heihozu said. Shu chuckled.

"R-really? That's all? W-what I am d-doing is a lot more fun. I own this city," Shu said proudly.

"But you do know you're going to get caught, right? They have your college photo and everything on the news. It's a matter of time 'til they check the slums here. If you come with me and escape into space, they'll probably have a lot harder of a time finding you," Heihozu said, winking.

"I suppose so…" Shu said, smiling now. "So, where's this uncooperative bio-android you were talking about?"

"Follow me back to my ship!"


	21. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 4

Prequel 4: Niyuu, Jiyuu, and Heihozu

Erzi Heihozu wasn't exactly the strongest of guys. He was lanky and had knobby knees. He always wore shorts made of Charnese chino cloth. His favorite t-shirt was one advertising the Rynex Space Race. He was fifteen years old with a pompadour he styled every morning all by himself. Regardless of his efforts to appear cool, Erzi was bullied.

"Hey String-bean! Where do you think you're going?" a guy said. He had three other friends with him. Erzi swallowed hard.

"Oh! Hey, Deng! Lookin' cool today! H-how can I help ya?" Erzi said, nervous. He wondered why he hadn't run away.

"By slamming your face into the concrete—" Deng replied. Just then, Deng and his buddies charged at Erzi. He began to run, and because he was on the track team, he got pretty far, but then he suddenly tripped, falling over. The bullies caught up, Deng grabbing Erzi by the collar. "—But we can arrange that."

"C-can we maybe get together t-tomorrow instead?" Erzi said, sweating bullets. Deng laughed.

"You're a real comedian, aren't you?" Deng said. Erzi chuckled nervously.

"W-well, my dad always says I am 'quite the joker!'" Erzi replied. Deng let Erzi go.

"So, I have a challenge for you. Tell us a joke—" Suddenly, Deng punched Erzi in the jaw. "With a broken jaw." Now, Erzi could tell that his jaw wasn't broken, but it still hurt—a lot. Erzi spat out blood onto the concrete.

"W-well… u-umm… S-so, this Sharnese man walks into a bar—" And suddenly Deng punched him again, this time in the stomach.

"Go on." Deng said. Erzi fell onto his knees, arms wrapped around his torso. Erzi looked up at them, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, the four of them began to beat him up, shoving, punching, and kicking him. When they were finished, they walked off, laughing. Erzi sat up, bruises and everything, and began to adjust his hair…

The next day, Erzi came in early, hoping he could hide in the classroom before class. The bullies who beat him up yesterday were by the entrance of the school, smoking. Erzi swallowed hard. How was he ever going to get past them? Suddenly, he took out a golden stick.

"That's right! I can disguise myself to get past them!" He held it out. "Turn me into someone who looks… shady! Zhuanhuan!" he cried. Suddenly, he had a brown trench coat over his uniform and a hat on his head, hiding his eyes; his pompadour was barely fitting inside the hat though. Erzi grinned and then walked past the group of bullies, entering the school. He ran to the classroom and slammed the door. He sat down and let out a big sigh. "It worked! Now, the teacher should be here in about ten minutes!"

Erzi waited fifteen minutes and no one came in. Erzi was beginning to get worried. Suddenly, the door opened. He was relieved, but this feeling only lasted a second because the bullies entered the room. Erzi pulled his hat down and sat there, silent. The bullies did not hesitate in approaching him. Deng yanked off Erzi's hat and his pompadour sprung up.

"Think you could fool us, String-bean?" Deng said. Erzi smiled nervously.

"I-I… It was just a joke! I know I couldn't ever fool you!" Erzi replied.

"It may be early in the morning, but I'm not stupid. Now get up and get ready! I think I can give you two black eyes this time!" Deng said. Deng was about to punch Erzi when he heard his friends shout and hit the floor behind him. Deng, confused, turned around. He saw two buff, Sharnese twins with blond hair beating up the bullies. Just then, one of them glared at Deng, who suddenly became nervous. Without any warning, one of the men suplexed Deng. The bullies scrambled to their feet and ran off. The twins approached Erzi, smiling.

"Y-you… you saved me!" Erzi cried. The twins laughed.

"We are like superheroes, right?" one of them said. "I'm Niyuu! And this is my twin brother, Jiyuu!"

"This is one helluva introduction! I'm Erzi Heihozu!"

…Even though Niyuu and Jiyuu did a good job defending Erzi, it was impossible to be by his side all of the time, so Erzi still got beaten up. After a while, Erzi's father, Fuqin, became fed up with the beatings Erzi received. Fuqin took Erzi, Niyuu, and Jiyuu out of school and made sure to set the building on fire while classes were in session—after all, he was a pirate, and a very angry one. Erzi, Niyuu, and Jiyuu left Watao on Fuqin's ship, the Chanbao (the Castle).

"Erzi, my son, you will someday inherit my other ship, the Jiuju (Zhuizhu—Lord Chaser), and follow in my footsteps!" Fuqin said proudly. Erzi smiled nervously.

"You can do it, Erzi!" Niyuu cried.

"Yeah! We believe in you!" Jiyuu said.

…One day, about six years later, Fuqin was entering the main control room of Chanbao after he had a meeting in a large palace on Watao, with an exhausted expression on his face.

"What's wrong, father?" Erzi asked.

"We have to go back to the Sentinel System. Apparently, the leader of the Watao Pirate Guild and Maichong 45 has assigned me to finding a treasure."

"A 'treasure?' What kind of treasure?" Erzi replied.

"A bio-android by the name of 'Melfina.' Apparently, she is the 'key' to the Galactic Leyline There's another apparently, here in the Rynex System, but I think he wants the one in the Sentinel System first."

"'Galactic Leyline?' I thought that it didn't exist!" Erzi said, looking over at Niyuu and Jiyuu; the two of them shrugged.

"No, it very much so does… or at least Lord Junfa thinks so," Fuqin said, sighing. "We must head there immediately—" Suddenly, the ship shook. The main screen turned on to reveal that three Rynex Police harriers were waiting for them. "Shit!"

"The police?! I thought we lost them!" Erzi cried.

"We have to leave Watao's orbit now!"

The Chanbao managed to make it past the police harriers, but they were shooting at them—and not missing. Fuqin began to sweat bullets.

"The engine is too damaged to keep on going!" Niyuu cried.

"They won't stop shooting at the engine! They want to kill us at this point!" Jiyuu shouted. Fuqin fell silent for a moment.

"Boys… I want you to get into the escape pods," Fuqin said. "There's only three of them."

"'Three?' Don't tell me that you're going to just stay here! Father!"

"I'm going down with the ship. You're too young to join me. Now, get to those escape pods."

"No! I'm sure you can fit in mine! Come on!" Erzi shouted. Niyuu grabbed his arm, while Jiyuu grabbed the other. They began to drag him to the escape pad. "No! Let me go!"

"Go to the palace. Talk with Lord Junfa and board the Jiuju. Okay?" Fuqin shouted back.

The three of them got to the escape pods. Niyuu shoved Erzi into the escape pod, Jiyuu locking it right away. Erzi slammed his fists against the door. Erzi was crying, but no sound could be heard outside of the pod. The twins got into their own pods and without any hesitation, Fuqin released the escape pods, shooting them towards Watao…

Erzi did what his father told him and met with Lord Junfa in the palace.

"YOUR FATHER HAS FAILED, HEIHOZU ERZI," Lord Junfa said. Erzi was enraged, but he held his tongue. "YOU MUST FIGHT THE ONE WHO IS THE KEY TO THE GALACTIC LEYLINE." Erzi bowed…

There was an explosion at Starfish Labs. Heihozu, Niyuu, Jiyuu, Shu, Yan and his other crew members broke into the lab. Niyuu, Jiyuu, and Yan killed the scientists there without any hesitation, while Heihozu and Shu ran downstairs to the main lab. When they got there, they saw a boy behind glass, his thick lashed eyes closed. It was Lark.

"The treasure!" Heihozu cried. Shu hacked into the computer, trying to release Lark, which wasn't a problem. The security guards ran downstairs, ready to shoot them, but Heihozu clumsily shot his gun, killing them. The two security guards were the first lives he himself had claimed. He felt awful, but he didn't have time to think…

Heihozu was carrying the new bio-android Lark in his arms. He gazed at him, blushing.

"He's like a doll…" he thought…

Most of his crew had died except for those who were given the status of Maichong 45: Shu, the Digital Terror; Niyuu and Jiyuu, the The Twin 45's; and Yan, the Damned Moon. Soon, the Jiuju took off, heading towards Shar, where they could hide a bit…

One day, Lord Junfa contacted them.

"HEIHOZU ERZI."

"Y-yes, sir?" Heihozu replied; his booming voice always made him nervous.

"NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE DOLL, YOU MUST FIND THE GOLDEN SHIP, THE AURUM. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LOCATION OF THIS SHIP HAS BEEN LOST FOR YEARS, BUT I BELIEVE YOU CAN FIND IT."

"Yes, sir!" Heihozu shouted. What choice did he have?


	22. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 5

Prequel 5: Gallagher

Vance Gallagher was sitting in a classroom. It was the last day of classes before he got his master's degree in engineering. He was bored as hell. He was already guaranteed a position at the Watao lab, Haixing Lab. It was rare for the Watao to hire someone who wasn't Watao, but his resume impressed them. After all, he had helped build an entire ship, a Rynexian ship called "The Moonglide" for a popular Watao girl-band trio. He wondered why he was stuck in class, listening to his professor thanking them for the opportunity of getting to know them as students. Vance just wanted to get to Watao. He had to be there in two days.

The next day, he received his degree from the university, which he left on the floor of his apartment in Rynex City. He went out to get himself a barbeque cheeseburger with a Sharnese woman he had been seeing, her name being Pearl Hart. She had rose red hair cut in a pixie cut and was wearing a short sleeved black dress over a white long-sleeved blouse.

"Oh, Vance, I'm so happy… even if it means just having a vanilla milkshake with my angel! Is your burger good?" Pearl asked.

"It's fine…" Vance's eyes fell.

"What's wrong, angel?" she said with a look of concern on her face.

"We… Well, you're going back to Shar, right?"

"I guess so. My family lives there."

"Well, I'll be going to Watao. I've been hired by a lab and I start right away."

"Really? Oh, angel, I believed in you from the start! Congratulations!" she said happily, tapping his nose.

"I know… You see… I don't think it's going to work out…" Pearl felt her breath stop.

"Whaddya mean? What's not going to work out? Are you… breaking up with me?" Pearl said in a quiet voice.

"Well, I have to… I'll be very busy on Watao," Vance said in a somber tone. Suddenly, Pearl took a knife from the table and pointed it at him. Vance stood up suddenly, looking shocked.

"Pearl! What the hell are you doing?!" Vance yelled. When people began to look, Pearl got nervous and slowly lowered her arm. She sat down, eyes on the knife. "Pearl?!"

"Just… just stop it! If I can't have you, nobody can! I'll… I'll kill you if I have to!" Pearl replied. Vance looked at her, eyes still wide.

"If I had known that you would react this way, I don't think I would have gotten to know you in the first place." Vance turned away and left her behind. She didn't move from her seat. She felt like she lost her mind…

Soon, Vance was at Haixing Lab, talking to another man of Rynex descent, Dr. McLoughlin. They were reviewing the blueprints as the ship, the Aurum, was being constructed. He watched Watao pirates and scientists use their Tao magic to lift pieces and put them together.

"Amazing…" Vance said quietly.

"Yes. It's in its final stages. Once it is completed, we will get the boy from Starfish Lab," he replied.

"'Boy?' What do you mean?"

"You see, this ship will need a 'brain' to pilot it. Not too long ago, our post out in the Grave of the Dragon found a being that they believed could lead us to the Galactic Leyline. We cloned it and now we have one on Rynex. There were three more, but only one other survived, and that one was stolen. Soon, he will be brought over for compatibility tests."

"Interesting. Sounds a bit 'old-fashioned.'"

"It is, but that is the only way."

"I see… And what if this boy is deemed incompatible?"

"Oh. They'll probably make another; maybe change a little things. But we're sure this one will work since he is directly from this special being." Dr. McLoughlin said casually. Vance felt uncomfortable. Knowing that this boy was very valuable, yet not at all, was awful. He couldn't help but imagine this innocent-looking boy sitting at a garbage dump, alone.

"What does he look like?" Vance asked.

"You're really interested in this boy. I thought you would be more interested in the ship."

"Oh, I am."

"Well, we call him the 'Doll.' He is very… 'pretty.' You could almost mistake him for a girl." Dr. McLoughlin opened a desk and took out a somewhat blurry black and white photo of Lark. He was standing, looking behind him at the camera. "This is when he first 'woke up.' He immediately knew that our camera was looking at him. We concluded that he thought it was an eye. Moreover, we were excited that he was alive in the first place." Vance took the photo and looked at it.

"The 'Doll,' huh? I have to agree with you." He handed the photo back.

"Oh, you can keep this. We have more clear shots. I was just keeping this one for sentimental value." Dr. McLoughlin handed it back to him. "You see, I actually spoke with the boy. He was very aware. He said that he was scared being alone and was glad to see 'something like him.' It was sweet. He even gave me a hug…" Dr. McLoughlin sighed. This only made Vance feel worse. He took the photo back and took his wallet out, slipping it inside.

"Anyway, I'm sure the ship will be finished in two weeks. We were wondering if you could help supervise the project. I do apologize for putting so much on your shoulders, but at least there isn't much left to do. I must return to Rynex to attend to Project Lark."

"'Project Lark?'"

"Yes. That's what we named him."

"I see… A caged bird." Vance eye's fell.

"Oh, you're so dramatic. Well, I'll take my leave now. All of the Watao here already know of you and are ready to follow your instructions. It was a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Gallagher." Dr. McLoughlin and Vance shook hands. "Be well."

"Thank you…" Vance said, turning away to watch the Watao construct the ship…

Two and a half weeks passed. Lark was brought to the lab. He was wrapped in a straitjacket. Apparently, he was being very difficult and this was the only way to get him to the lab.

The first test was one for his mental condition. The temperature in his head was cold, indicating that he was experiencing some form of depression.

The second test was to monitor his heart rate. Lark's heart had more chambers than the average heart. He had triple heartbeats, sounding like a waltz.

The third test was to see if he could connect to the digital world, which he couldn't. This made the scientists very worried.

The fourth test was to actually put him into the ship and see if it could find any coordinates in the system. This was a complete failure. This meant that Lark had failed the compatibility tests. This meant that he was going to take a trip back to Rynex... Vance felt ill when he saw Lark in the straitjacket again. The two of them locked eyes for a moment before he was taken away out of sight…

Gallagher had a black mask over his mouth and a long, deep red Arabian turban on. He was wearing a long brown suede coat, black leather gloves, and tall black boots. He entered the lab at night, where some scientists were working overtime; using two silver revolvers, he shot and killed every single one of them, even the Watao Tao magic using scientists (which wasn't easy).

Getting the ship out of the lab was easy. He used its weapons to blast a hole through the ceiling and immediately propelled it out of there. No police followed him. After all, the lab did not possess any alarms to notify the local authorities.

"I've got to hide this thing…" he thought. He had left his ship, the Cazar, behind for now, to head towards Crone. "And I know just who can take it off of my hands."

The ship was moving very slowly. Sometimes it seemed unresponsive.

"It really does need that brain. Poor kid…"


	23. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 6

Prequel 6: Harper

Rich Harper came from a poor family on Octnua. It wasn't uncommon. There weren't really any slums, but the cities were built upon an unspoken caste system. Rich was part of a poorer side of the middle class neighborhood, living close to the bottom of the apartment building he and his old mother lived in; more money meant higher floors. Rich's father had left his mother to enjoy the life of the richer side of the middle class. Rich was one of three siblings, but his other siblings had moved out to start their own lives; Rich was left to take care of his mother. He was essentially living off of his mother's meals, usually rice, curry, or spicy rodent cutlets. His father was a Day-Octnua (who adapted to living in brighter conditions), with the last name of Harper, while his mother was a Night-Octnua (the more active of Octnua), with the last name of Chadha; it was not uncommon to mix. The Day-Octnua (which was originally colonized by Crone) embraced the Night-Octnua's spices, cuisine, and festivals, while the Night-Octnua became attached to their teas, their technology, and clothes. The Day-Octnua once colonized the Night-Octnua, but with peaceful protest, and unfortunately, casualties, they came to a treaty; this was some time ago. Times were different now; there were Day-Octnua going to Night-Octnua festivals, and Night-Octnua wearing Day-Octnua suits to work. Octnua came in different races of owls, Harper being a "barn owl." Their tendencies to live most of their lives in the night helped unite them (even though the planet spun very slowly on its axis, allowing months of daytime or nighttime).

With the little money his mother had saved for him, Harper was able to attend university. He studied engineering. He had a Day-Octnua girlfriend, Naomi Peoria, who was also a barn owl. She would visit his home during festivals and help his mother prepare traditional foods, such as Dopiaza. Naomi was also studying engineering. In fact, she graduated before Harper had and essentially was living on her own. She was hoping that one day, Harper would move in with her; however, she didn't mind visiting his mother's home every week.

"Mother, Naomi. I have something to tell you," Harper said, looking excited. "I've been hired at the 151 Garage at Pewter VI!" The two of them clapped.

"Oh! You better make sure to visit me! Especially during the Festival of Lights! Or else I will bring you home by the beak!" his mother said.

"I agree! After all, Pewter VI is just a 'skip over the pond!'" Naomi replied.

"You know I will… So, apparently, I'll be working with a bunch of Corbonites that migrated from the Sentinel System. My boss' name is 'Weilo,'" Harper said. "I've never seen them before."

"They live in these robotic suits. I think the planet they came from has a very specific type of atmosphere, so they're not really used to the air we breathe." Naomi said.

"Chadha," his mother referred to him by her family name. "You had better marry this girl soon! Or else you might starve!" Naomi giggled. Harper let out a sigh.

"Well, I did buy you both gifts…" Harper said. He took out a black box and opened it up. "For my mother…" Harper handed his mother a pin made of three rubies.

"Oh, my son, you didn't need to. We cannot afford to wear such things…" she said, pinning it on herself. He then handed Naomi a gold necklace with a gold bird in flight with a ruby for the body. She gasped.

"And this is for you, Naomi," Harper said. Naomi took it from him and put it around her neck.

"It's so beautiful…" she said, holding the bird charm in her hand.

"Now if only it were a ring!" His mother laughed.

"Mother!" Harper cried, looking embarrassed. His mother continued to laugh, her voice squeaking now.

"Thank you, Chadha." Naomi never called him Rich or Harper in front of his mother. She knew better.

"Well, I want to make a grand meal tonight! Would you like to help me, Naomi?" his mother asked, turning to her.

"Oh! Of course!" She replied.

That night, the three of them had a vegetarian curry, since that week, rodent was too expensive—especially Charnese rodents. The rodents from Rynex and Crone were too unclean to eat; too much pollution. The entire meal, Harper looked at Naomi longingly. He wished he could propose to her; they had known each other for three years now. He just couldn't see it working out until they had a place of their own. Of course, he would want it to be somewhere nearby his mother, so he could continue to take care of her…

After a week of goodbyes, Harper went to Pewter VI on one of the commuter ships. He couldn't believe he was leaving Octnua. He was glad that all of Pewter VI was in a habitable bubble; he could easily avoid the bright days of his home planet. However, he would somewhat have to adapt to the cuisine of Pewter VI. He was sure that there was going to be Night-Octnua kebabs and curries, and he even heard of the great spice market. Many Octnua commuted to Pewter VI. It's just that there were all kinds of cuisines he was not at all familiar with. He was sure Weilo knew things about the food; he could rely on him for some suggestions. There were Space Chinese (Watao), Japanese (Rynex), Thai (Sharnese), Octnua (English and Indian), and Crone (English) in the Rynex system. Then again, anything spicy would appeal to him; maybe there was even Sharnese rodent available!

Harper went to the main office of the Pewter VI 151 Garage. He was directed by a Corbonite to go to the 100th gate where Weilo was working. Harper did so, seeing that he was with another Corbonite in a robotic suit that resembled a fox.

"Weilo?" Harper said quietly. He didn't really want to interject.

"Ah! I know who you are! You must be Rich Chadha Harper! It's a pleasure to meet you! This is my other assistant, Huli!"

"A pleasure!" Huli said. Harper was very entertained by their names and "costumes." Their names reminded him of the Space Chinese, yet their appearances reminded him of Japanese folklore characters that he heard of. Maybe there was one that resembled a _kappa_ somewhere out there. Corbonites were completely alien to him. He wondered just what they looked like underneath the shell.

"So, are you ready to get to work right away? Because we're startin' tomorrow," Weilo said. Caught off guard, Harper nodded. "Good! Because right now, I'm a little… well… shorthanded. It's me, Huli, and now you! So, welcome to Garage 100!" he said with enthusiasm. He held out his hand, which Harper shook. Huli offered his hand, doing the same. "You got a good handshake, Harper," Weilo said.

That night, Harper woke up in the middle of the night after having a spicy vegetarian dish—he had no interest in eating chicken, which was what the dish mainly consisted of. It wasn't that his stomach didn't agree with it—he simply had to go to the bathroom. The apartment he lived in was right by the spice market. There weren't many homes on the asteroid. You couldn't get one unless you had a Pewter VI working license. There weren't even any hotels; if you were a visitor, you either left (bars and clubs were open real "late") or you stayed in your ship at the gate.

He was so nervous of how dark the apartment was. Now, normally he would enjoy this kind of environment, but it was _too _dark. He slowly made his way to the bathroom when he heard lewd, wet noises. It wasn't the sink. What could it be? A rodent? He reached forward, blindly grabbing the cord to the single bulb hanging from the ceiling. He managed to turn on the light and what he saw he couldn't believe. He saw some kind of skeletal figure hunching over. It was all red and had long, black hair. The creature looked up to see Harper, it having no face except for a mouth, where a long, serpentine tongue was hanging out. Once Harper was able to understand what he was looking at, he ran away, all the way to Huli's apartment. He knocked on the door. Huli looked at him, looking annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Huli said.

"Th-there's a monster in my bathroom! It's horrid!" Harper cried. "It's all red and—"

"Seen it," Huli interrupted.

"What?!"

"Yeah… I saw it on the first night of me staying here. It just… appears in your bathroom, cleans it up, and then never comes again. I don't know… They call it the Pewter VI _Akaname," _Huli replied. "It's from some kind of Japanese folklore. You see, us Corbonites have absorbed many cultures and we know all about these kind of things."

"I-I don't think I want to sleep in my apartment tonight…" Harper said nervously.

"Yeah. I ran to Weilo's when this happened to me. Don't worry—you will probably never see it again after tonight. You can sleep on my couch."

…Harper was lying on the couch, too scared to fall asleep. Tomorrow was his first day of work. Hopefully, Weilo would go easy on him. He just had the fright of his life…


	24. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 7

Prequel 7: Lord Junfa and His Elite

Watao Secretary Of Defense Dr. Guang was standing at a podium, angry.

"Chancellor Hong! Why do you keep on lowering the military budget?! How do you ever expect to win against the Heifong pirates?! All they understand is violence! We know who is responsible for the attack on the Rynex transport ships! They were just commuters! Going to their jobs! Doing wonderful things! We could have prevented this if you assigned another ship to protecting the space between Rynex and Crone! Crone is still getting debris!" Guang yelled.

"Dr. Guang, our planet is already in a depression due to fighting the pirates in the Heifong system. The tie between businesses with the Chinese in the Heifong System and our own has halted. We also have had nothing but Chinese refugees coming to our planet. Do you not understand that our people here are suffering due to this war abroad?" Chancellor Hong replied. There were small discussions between all state members present. Dr. Guang felt lost.

"Is what I am asking just too much?" Dr. Guang said in a disappointed tone of voice. The Chancellor hesitated in answering. He let out a sigh.

"The depression and the refugees here are our priorities. We are for the Watao people. We even have yet to discuss these matters with our capital planet, Rynex. That is the reason why I must continue to veto your proposals. I am sorry, Dr. Guang."

Soon, the convention ended and Dr. Guang went back to his estate, face red. He went straight to the bathroom, and splashed cold water onto his face. Dr. Guang was a handsome Watao man. He had thin, almost feminine dark eyes. His complexion was fair. He had straight, long black hair, which he usually kept tied back in a ponytail. He stared at his reflection.

"It would be nice to arrive home to the smell of a warm meal. But I suppose it is my fault that I am alone… The young and unmarried Watao Secretary Of Defense…" He said to himself aloud. "Can't imagine why they nickname me the 'Bachelor Hawk.'" He sighed. "But if I became more involved with that boy, I would never be where I am now…" He closed his eyes and began to remember just how things were a couple of years ago…

Dr. Guang was passing by a flower shop. His mother had just passed away last year and he was going to leave flowers at her grave. That was when he saw him. He entered the flower shop and saw a young man only a couple of years younger than him. He was watering some white flowers. With the ringing of the welcoming chime, he turned to face Dr. Guang. The young man had messy, pale blonde hair and light grey eyes. He was wearing a green apron over his white t-shirt and light blue jeans. Dr. Guang blushed.

"Such an innocent face…" He thought.

"Oh! Hello! Welcome to Maichong Flowers! The flowers are hungry, but they'll just have to wait! How can I help you?" The young man said, beaming with energy. Dr. Guang didn't answer him right away. He was just looking at him. "Hello?"

"Oh! Yes! Sorry…" Dr. Guang blushed even more; it was apparent by now. The young man's smile grew wider. "I'm looking for some white lilies…"

"Oh? Is that so? I'm sorry for your loss…" The boy assumed. He was right. Being a florist, you had to know each meaning behind the flower. Dr. Guang nodded. "But I do have some that just blossomed! Be right back!" The young man said, heading further into the floral shop. Dr. Guang looked around. He wondered how a florist lived. When the young man returned, he had a frosted glass vase. "Is this vase appropriate?"

"It's fine." Dr. Guang answered. He set the vase down onto the counter and went back to the back. Was he here all by himself? The young man returned with a bunch of—about five—white lilies with the aroma of the young flowers. He put them into the vase and gently arranged them with a bunch of lilies of the valley and thin pine branches.

"There we go! All done! What do you think?" He asked, pushing it forward. The lilies framed the young man's face.

"It's beautiful." Dr. Guang said, gazing forward. The young man then opened a drawer and tied a white, satin bow around the vase. Dr. Guang gently pushed the vase aside, looking as if he was going to reach down into his wallet when he suddenly grabbed the young man's chin and kissed him. The young man instantly melted into the kiss. Why had he done this? An emotional overload? Dr. Guang slowly broke the kiss. The young man was blushing now. The two of them stared at each other.

"U-umm… That'll be 400 wong, s-sir." The young man said. This time, Dr. Guang took out his wallet and paid him. "Thank you…"

"What is your name?" Dr. Guang asked. The young man answered him.

"Yuusuke." Rynex descent.

"I'm Dr. Guang, but… you can call me Luxifu." Yuusuke smiled.

"I will do my best to remember the next time you come by!" Yuusuke replied. Luxifu smiled…

Every week, Luxifu visited the floral shop; he always bought something. Luxifu's house was full of Yuusuke's flowers. Their conversations had begun to grow more intimate, but Luxifu knew that it was a matter of time that he would be elected by the diet to become the Secretary of Defense and couldn't see him as much. Luxifu knew that Yuusuke was waiting for the day that he called him his boyfriend, but it would be harder for the both of them if he did.

One day, Luxifu was called to go to an important meeting and couldn't meet Yuusuke. He did nothing but daydream about having tea with him at some _izakaya_. That evening, he rushed to Maichong Flowers, hoping he would catch him before closing time when he saw a car had crashed into the front window of the store. There were also Watao police everywhere. Luxifu began to slow down, hoping that Yuusuke had went home early that night, but the lights were still on in the shop.

"You can't go past me." One of the officers said.

"My boyfriend might be in there." Luxifu said. The officer didn't say anything and let him through.

Luxifu discovered that the driver had been drunk and died due to a popped airbag. He then saw something that made his heart stop. Yuusuke was on the floor, blood running down the side of his head. His eyes were wide open. He was holding a watering can. Photos of the dead Yuusuke were being taken. Luxifu shoved one of the officers aside and sunk to his knees, pulling Yuusuke close.

"Stop taking pictures of him! He isn't yours! Stop it!" Luxifu cried. They had taken enough photos by the time he arrived, so they stopped, feeling bad. Luxifu buried his face into Yuusuke's still chest. "Yuusuke… I never said it… but I love you…" He said into his apron…

Dr. Guang's thoughts returned to the present. He splashed more water on his face.

"Yuusuke…" He whispered.

The next day, Dr. Guang spent the entire day in bed. At night, he just wanted to drink. Being reminded of Yuusuke really got him depressed. As he was on his way, he saw a crowd forming around a street performer. It was Io—of course, he didn't know who she was yet. She was playing the tambourine, children dancing around her.

"Keep on dancing!" She said happily. People threw money at her. Was it because of her skimpy outfit—she only looked fourteen. Or was it because she was such a natural at entertaining children? She had a sense of rhythm. When she finished her act, the crowd dispersed. Dr. Guang was just standing there, looking at her. He had never seen a girl like her before. Maybe she was Sharnese? She couldn't be Ctarl-Ctarl. She was missing the ears. Unless she was biracial? It didn't matter to him though. He was enchanted by her. She picked up the money, putting it into a flask and then saw Dr. Guang staring at her. She immediately approached him. "Did you like my dance? It's a Ctarl-Ctarl dance!" She said. Ah, so he could be right.

"Yes. It was nice." Dr. Guang answered.

"Hey, hey, hey now! I was wondering, could you take to _Izakaya Mew_? It's not far from here. I just want a drink or two…" She asked.

"You look a little too young to drink what you're thinking about drinking." Dr. Guang replied, smirking.

"I've had some before. Come on. I just want a little lychee wine." She begged. Dr. Guang sighed.

"Well, it is a bit cold out. And you look like you're freezing. Come on." Dr. Guang replied. "Also, what is your name?"

"Io!"

…Dr. Guang and Io were in a room of their own. She was eating like a beast. He lost count as to how much beefshe had consumed, and he didn't even have a single drink of the bottle of lychee wine. Not too far into the dinner, she had fallen asleep with her head on the table with soy sauce around her lips. Dr. Guang sighed.

"What am I going to do? This is so stupid…" He said to himself under his breath. No one was there to hear it other than his embarrassed self.

He paid the bill and took the now snoring Io into his arms.

…The next morning, Io awoke in a bed. She gasped and looked around at the pretty decor. She hopped onto her feet. It didn't matter where she was; she felt like she was in trouble. She ran out of the room, down the stairs when she suddenly bumped into Dr. Guang in his pajamas.

"What are you doing, running in my house?" He asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"What?! Your house?! Did you do anything to me?! Oh, I'll curse you if you did!" She cried. Dr. Guang sighed.

"I dropped you on a bed in my guest room. Does that warrant a curse? You passed out at the restaurant. If anything, you're the one who did something to me. I am hoping no one in the press saw me carrying you back to my estate." Io blushed. He was handsome when his hair wasn't back in a ponytail.

"O-oh… Sorry…" She replied.

"So, where do you live? I'll have a car take you there." Dr. Guang asked, walking over to one of his wall telephones.

"I… don't live anywhere. I'm homeless." She replied, eyes falling. That's right. It made sense that she would be a street performer. Dr. Guang sighed. She bit her lip. "I-I'm… really good at cooking!" She said suddenly. It was obvious she wanted to stay.

"So?" Dr. Guang replied.

"So l would like to live here! With you…" She said, blushing still.

"So you can take advantage of whatever booze enters my home?"

"No! Heh, now I know why they call you the 'Bachelor Hawk.'" She laughed.

"Shut up! Just because I'm not married doesn't mean you can make jokes about it! You're just a kid!"

"And you're just a bigger kid!" She snapped. She then began to laugh. At first, Dr. Guang was uptight, but then he found himself liking her laugh.

"Also… I'm really good at computers. You ever wonder what your political opponents are writing about you?" She said with a devious smile on her face.

"What? What kind of person do you think I am?" Dr. Guang said, feeling a little insulted.

"I can see it clearly. You're young, but you're in a position for someone twice your age. You have no family left, but you've inherited your family's home and their politics. And you're a warhawk, and no matter what you do, they're going to treat you like a kid and say 'no.' So, don't you want to know your opponent a little better and put up a better fight in the next convention?"

"And how are you going to do this?"

"Give me a laptop and I'll show you." She said, grinning.

…Six years passed. Io had done what she had promised to and hacked into all kinds of politicians' computers. Even though Dr. Guang had managed to point out even more flaws in his opponents' plans, his proposals kept on being vetoed by Chancellor Hong. The war in the Heifong system was out of control. The bigger cities on Watao had begun to get overpopulated and this perpetuated the depression they were experiencing. Dr. Guang managed to get more patrolling battleships between Rynex, Crone, and Watao, with the help of Rynex's Emperor; he was still trying to get one to orbit Shar. He just couldn't get any more battleships over to the Heifong System.

"This is ridiculous. The Heifong Chinese civilians are dying…" He said, looking ill at the dinner table. Io, wearing a long, velvet black _qipao_, poured Dr. Guang some red wine. She then sat on his lap, facing him, running her hand down his cheek.

"You ever think of creating your own project?" She said in a devious tone.

"That would be one way to lose everything I own." He replied, not returning her affection.

"Who says you can't take it all with you?" She ran her finger over his lips.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe sitting behind a desk isn't your style. Didn't you tell me that you were, for years, trained in the Tao arts? That you could just throw people with your mind?"

"Yes."

"Well, think about the war like that. You'll have to get a little closer before you can throw something at someone. Leave this estate behind and just jump right into the war!"

"That would get us killed, Io."

"Not if you form a guild… You know, there are a lot of Watao pirates floating around aimlessly in this system, right?"

"Become a pirate?! But that's exactly what I'm against!"

"You're against the _Heifong_ pirates. Watao pirates have been fighting them, as well as the few battleships you have out there. They're working with each other. I'm just saying that I think that you, of all people, could create a guild and wipe out those nasty Heifong pirates!" Dr. Guang fell silent for a moment.

"Me?"

"It's so romantic! The Watao Secretary of Defense becoming a pirate to fight the pirates!" Io cried.

"Well…" He smiled. "I would finally be able to do what I need to do."

"It's been so long and the time is now. In the meanwhile, I feel my love for you has blossomed…" She said in a seductive voice.

"'Blossomed?'" He thought. "Yuusuke…"

"I am hoping that I may continue to love you and yet fear you as a pirate."

"This is looking to be a beautiful relationship, Io. You, me, and all of the stars I'll need to meet."

"Yes! But we'll have to do everything quietly! And you know I can help. I have been for years."

"Yes, yes, lovely Io, you're right…"

"'Lovely?'" She blushed. "That's the first time I've heard you call me that." He smiled at her. He then took his wine glass into his hand and tipped it over to get some wine onto her dress. She gasped, not expecting this at all. "Why did you do that?!" She cried. He then reached forward to put his thumb onto her bottom lip.

"Because now you're going to have to change…" He said, grinning. Io smiled back…

Through Io, Dr. Guang was able to meet Watao pirates, who were definitely interested in becoming a part of a new pirate guild lead by such a powerful figure in Watao. They were aware that he would lose this position, but that didn't mean he would lose all of his money; he was rich since birth. Dr. Guang resigned and in addition, sold his estate to buy a grand ship, called the "Jin," which was custom made; he had plenty of money left over. Io couldn't believe how rich he was until now.

It took about a year, but Dr. Guang was able to recruit over a hundred different groups of pirates, including one that he especially had interest in, the crew of the Erzi Heihozu. Dr. Guang took on the name of "Lord Junfa." The papers on Watao couldn't believe the Secretary of Defense was now the leader of a Watao pirate guild.

"What are you going to call your elite, Lord Junfa?" Io asked him one day. Lord Junfa remembered Yuusuke.

"The Maichong. I will select forth-five groups to be my elite. Before I embark on my trip to the Heifong system with my stars, I must choose my own elite crew."

"How many people are you thinking of?"

"Well, I'll obviously need a crew to pilot the ship, but I thought I would recruit at least two to stay by my side."

"Ooh! Sounds like fun! But where do we look?"

"I was thinking Rynex. It's too dangerous for me to return to Watao. There is a Tao magic school on Rynex, so I was wondering if I could find someone there."

"A 'Tao magic school?' On Rynex? That's so weird."

"The Rynex and space Japanese are very interested in the ways of the Watao and Space Chinese. Always have, even though they had quite a nasty war on Earth long ago."

"Really?"

"Yes. So, let's go to Rynex."

…Lord Junfa found two seventeen year boys who were simply cruel. One had the power over ice, while the other could read minds. They recently had been kicked out of the school for killing one of the teachers. After that, they hid themselves, living in the underground. Io was able to locate them and Lord Junfa made an offer they could not refuse. They loved the idea of being able to use their dark Watao magic on others—to kill, of course. Their names were Phobos and Deimos—twins—named after the moons of Mars about twelve light years away.

"So, don't tell me we will be in this ship the entire time during this war in the Heifong system? That would be a waste of our powers." Deimos complained.

"No, brother. He plans to land on the planet 'Luse.' That is where one of the branches of the '108 Stars' is." Phobos answered. Lord Junfa smiled…

Hazanko and Lord Junfa were playing a game of chess. Both of them had masks on, hiding their true faces.

"So, you started this war so you could eliminate the weak pirates of your 108 stars, correct?" Lord Junfa asked as he moved a piece.

"Yes. It is a test. I wished Watao and their pirates had not gotten involved."

"Well, I must inform you, Watao will soon not be able to afford to keep their battleships in the Heifong system. And the Watao pirates that are attacking now will be eliminated by my guild and my Maichong 45, which will leave you to continue business as usual."

"That is good news. So in a way, we are working together."

"Yes…" Lord Junfa said, smiling under his mask. Hazanko made a move.

"I need my best and this is the only way to determine that. The Chinese space pirate war in Sentinel went perfectly. The only reason why the one in Heifong is taking longer is because of the sheer amount of pirates there are."

"Interesting."

"So, have you ever heard of the 'Galactic Leyline?'" Hazanko asked.

"No. What is it?"

"It is a place. You could say it is the 'Garden of Eden' where the 'Tree of Knowledge' exists."

"Is that so? How do you know it is real?"

"Because there were three ships built to get to it. One is the XGP, the other is the Z27, and the third one is somewhere in this system, called the E38. They were three ships constructed specially to go to this Galactic Leyline."

"Oh? So what is there, other than knowledge?"

"Power. And I want it. Once the strong rise from the ashes of this war, my elite from the 108 Stars will be trying to find the ship and the key to the 'garden.'

"I suppose I could search for it too. My appetite is has been wetted by your conversation."

"Is that so? Well then, I wish you best of luck of finding it, because once I get the XGP and the bio android with the coordinates, I will become the most powerful thing in this universe."

"I think I'll search for the Z27 then. Best of luck to you too."


	25. Their Stories - Prequel Chapter 8

Prequel 8: Ron and Harry

Ron had just lost his father. His name was Logan McDougall and he was an outlaw. Logan hated the pirates—they always seemed to steal jobs from him—and other outlaws, who did the same. Though his girlfriend died years ago from lung cancer (they both smoked), he got romantically involved with the young outlaw "Hot Ice Hilda." Ironically, she and her ship, Horus, would be the death of him, destroying Logan's ship, the Zion, and leaving Ron to inherit his father's second ship, the El Dorado. Ron had just turned twenty and already became full of hatred, swearing revenge on Hot Ice Hilda. He wasn't ready for space just yet, especially since his ship required a crew and especially a navigator. Instead, he became a mercenary, taking on all kinds of dangerous assignments on Sentinel III. Being full of hatred, he had no guilt with killing others; perhaps he also inherited that from his father.

His latest mission wasn't easy; he had to kill the head of a Ban pirates crime ring in Locust City. This Ban pirate, being a cyborg, had a long _Dao _for a hand. The cyborg did his best to get in close, at one point, making a deep cut down Ron's face. Even though it hurt, the cyborg left himself open and Ron shot him right in the head. He was paid handsomely and could pay at least four months' worth of rent for his apartment.

One day, Ron was walking past the city dump, heading to his next client's location when he saw someone sitting on top of the gate. Ron, a tad curious, stopped.

"What are you doing up there, stranger?" Ron asked. He looked down, his long, wavy azure hair falling with his face. He hopped down, landing in front of him.

"This is where I belong," the boy answered. Ron quirked a brow.

"You don't look homeless. Your clothes are far too nice," Ron replied.

"But I am homeless. Just as of this morning, heh…" the boy replied. He looked like a teenager.

"Why?" Ron asked. Why was he so curious about this boy?

"I killed it."

"Killed what?"

"The dog. I killed the dog. They said I am too 'unstable,'" the boy replied with a grin. Ron made a face.

"Why would you do that?" Suddenly, the boy began to cry.

"I don't know. They loved him more than they loved me…"

"They?"

"My… parents…"

"So they literally threw you out?"

"Yes," the boy said, wiping his eyes. Ron actually felt bad for him, even though the fact that he killed a dog disturbed him.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just a 'copy,'" he continued.

"'Copy?'"

"Yes. I was cloned from their dead son, Bo. He killed himself a year ago." Ron paused.

"Is your name 'Bo?'"

"That's what they called me. Bo II."

"What are you?"

"I'm not like everyone else. They called me a 'cyborg.'"

"I see. Well, I must get going now. I'm sorry if I've disturbed ya," Ron said, waving as he walked away.

Bo then began to follow him. Ron stopped and turned around, seeing him staring at him. Ron then continued on his way, Bo following him all the way across the street. Ron sharply turned around with his gun.

"Bo, stop following me or else—" Suddenly, Bo turned Ron's wrist, smacked the base of the gun up out of his grip, and caught it in his hand while still holding on to Ron's wrist. "What the?!"

"I'm good at these kind of things," Bo said. "Can I help you?" Ron thought for a moment.

"Bo, it sounds like you just began life. Do you really want to get yourself killed?"

"You kill people for a living?" Bo asked.

"Yes. Yes, I do, Bo. And those people can also kill you. Just give me back my gun so I can get to work."

"I can help… Please… Let me help…" Bo begged. Ron sighed.

"Your funeral," he replied.

The two of them met with the client, who was requesting Ron kill this cyborg who kept on stealing money from his business.

"I see you brought a friend. Anyway, her name is 'Zhora.' She is just a cyborg, so that should be easy enough. She works at my stripper bar. I want her eliminated," the client said. Ron looked over at Bo, who had a stoic expression on his face.

"Couldn't you just turn her into the cops? What makes her so special to warrant my services, if you don't mind me asking?" Ron asked, smirking.

"I want this bitch dead. No one messes with my money. Her shift starts at ten o'clock. Kill her then or after. I don't care," the client said.

"Alright," Ron said, smiling a bit. Bo looked up at him, silent. "Let's go, Bo."

…Ron had taken Bo out to a small café where they ate. Ron ate bacon on toast, while Bo ate ice cream. Ron thought it was a little strange.

"Why are you eating that? At this hour?"

"It's cold. I like it," Bo said, smiling. Ron felt a little uneasy. There really was something not quite right about Bo: he killed a dog because he was jealous; he knew how to grab a gun; and he liked eating ice cream. He never imagined he would meet someone like this.

…That night, the two of them were sitting in the audience of the client's stripper bar, called "The Aphrodite." There were white, naked statues of women everywhere with translucent, glittery fabric draped over them. Just then, Zhora came onto the floor. She had long, wavy cyan hair. She was pale with light blue eyes. She immediately approached Bo, who had been staring at the strippers like he had never seen them before. Zhora sat on Bo and began to give him a lapdance while she ran her fingers through his long hair.

"You look like you could be my brother…" she said by his ear. Bo made a face of discomfort. She then kissed his forehead and moved back to the stage.

"That was… weird," Ron said.

"It made me uncomfortable for some reason," Bo replied.

"It should," Ron said. "Well, she won't be talking for long."

"Okay," Bo said, watching her dance. When she began to strip, he turned away…

Ron and Bo were waiting in the alley in the back where Bo had seen other strippers leave. Ron had his gun ready. When Zhora, dressed in a white dress, exited, Ron was standing right in front of her with his gun. She gasped. She then kicked the gun right out of Ron's hand and took out her white pistol strapped to her thigh under a garter belt. Ron was searching for his gun in the dark, when Zhora pointed her gun. She took a shot and Bo jumped in front of Ron, taking the hit; she had shot him in the shoulder. Ron gasped. Bo had protected him. Bo then ran up to her and grabbed her by the neck with a single hand; his other arm was dangling, obviously damaged. He began to squeeze. Zhora immediately put her hands around his arm, trying to pull herself free, but Bo was simply stronger than she was. He successfully choked her to death. Bo dropped her dead body, her hair falling all over her face.

"Bo… Are you hurt?" Ron asked. He couldn't believe what just had happened.

"Damage to my arm. Can't move it," he said, turning to him.

"Come on. Let me get you to a hospital or something," Ron said…

The next morning, Bo's arm was in a sling.

"So, Bo, how long did they say it was going to be until your arm is functional again?"

"A couple of days," Bo answered.

"Listen, Bo…" He sighed. "I was thinking that we could work together from now on."

"Heh. I think that'd be cool. I don't mind killing," Bo said.

"Me either," Ron said, letting out a chuckle. Bo did the same.

…A couple of years passed and the two of them had become the infamous "MacDougall brothers." Ron couldn't disagree with them—Bo did take bullets for him, like a real brother would.

One day, Ron was talking to Bo while they were both eating ice cream.

"So, Bo… I was thinking I'd give you a different name—one that truly fits you."

"What's that, Ron?" Bo asked.

"Harry. Harry MacDougall. That way we're truly brothers," Ron said with a smile on his face. Harry smiled back.

"Okay."


	26. Their Stories - Final Prequel Chapter 9

Prequel 9: Lark

"There seem to be three of me next to me… They look a little different but our faces… Why aren't their eyes open?" Lark thought to himself. Suddenly, he felt something grab his hand. He looked down, seeing pale, dainty fingers curling around his. He looked over and saw that Melfina was smiling. She slowly opened her eyes. "Who… are you?"

"I don't know. Who are you?"

"I don't know. Why aren't the other two moving?" Lark asked. She looked over at the two other bodies, frowning.

"I don't know. Where are we?" Melfina asked. Lark looked around, seeing that the world around them was basically orange. They were in some kind of fluid. There was a window in front of them, showing a world of white. Lark and Melfina swam towards the window, looking out. They saw other people, who did not look like them, watching them and taking notes. "What are they?"

"I don't know. They look like us and don't look like us. Let's try to talk to them!" Lark said, smiling. Lark began to speak in some kind of strange language, which sounded nothing like the scientists had heard before. When Lark noticed they weren't talking back, he frowned. "I don't think they hear me."

"I'll try!" Melfina then began to shout in the same language that Lark had spoken—or at least something similar. The scientists were silent. Melfina frowned.

"Maybe if we can go to the white room, they can hear us!" Lark suggested. He then tried to push the window, but it wasn't budging. He stopped, looking confused. He tried again, Melfina helping him this time, but nothing happened. Lark looked over at Melfina, who appeared panicked. She was frowning.

"I don't think we can go to the white room…" Melfina said in a soft, somber voice. Lark then began to pound his fists against the glass.

"Let us out! Let us out! Please! We want to talk to you!" Lark cried. Suddenly, a glass wall came down inside the tank, separating Lark and Melfina from the other two bodies. Then, there was a sound of a fan. The other two bodies began to disintegrate. Lark and Melfina instantly began to scream, horrified. When the bodies were gone, Melfina clung to Lark, sobbing. Lark held her close. "What just happened?"

"I don't know! I'm scared!" Melfina said into his chest. Lark closed his eyes.

"Me too… Why are they doing this to us?..." Lark whispered…

Suddenly, Lark woke up inside a bright room, completely white, with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, building blocks, a red ball, and a plush of a penguin. Lark stood up, looking down at his body. He was wearing some kind of pale yellow gown. He then looked down at his feet. He took a step and then another. He looked like he was a bit confused, but then he began to head over to the red ball. He sat down again and picked it up. He felt it, his hands sliding across the surface. He then put it back on the floor and began to roll it. Lark smiled and began to roll it back and forth between his hands.

He did that for a while, and then stood up again, looking up at the light bulb. He reached up to touch it, and instantly withdrew his hand. He had been burned. Lark's eyes teared up a bit. He looked at his hand, trying to understand what happened. The burning sensation went away and Lark decided he wouldn't touch it again. He then saw the building blocks. He sat on the floor and began to arrange them. Instead of putting them on top of each other, Lark constructed a complex maze. He ran his finger through the paths for a while until he spotted the penguin.

He was about to go over to the penguin, when someone entered the room. Lark froze. He looked up to see a scientist, staring at him. Lark scrambled to the corner, grabbing the plush and holding it close to his chest.

"Don't destroy me!" Lark screamed in some language foreign to the scientist. The scientist bent down and spoke softly.

"I am Dr. McLoughlin," he said, pointing to himself. "McLoughlin. And you are Lark." He pointed at him. "Lark." Lark looked at him and then held up the penguin. "And that is a penguin. Penguin."

"Mick-loh-lin. Lark. Pen-gin," Lark repeated, pointing at each object.

"Very good." He held his hands open. Lark handed over the penguin. Dr. McLoughlin hugged the penguin and then gave it back to Lark. Lark thought for a moment. He then rose to his feet and hugged Dr. McLoughlin. Lark was shaking a bit. Dr. McLoughlin blushed. "So innocent…" Dr. McLoughlin commented under his breath. Lark let go slowly.

"Lark. We're going to teach you a language both of us can understand," Dr. McLoughlin said, pointing to his own lips. Lark imitated him and spoke in the foreign tongue again.

"Lingua?" Lark said.

"Oh! Wait a moment! That was Latin! You speak some form of Latin!" Dr. McLoughlin said excitedly. "I wish I had studied more of it… Let's see if I can remember some things…" He pointed to his own eyes. "Oculos." Lark smiled. Dr. McLoughlin pointed to the lightbulb. "Calida." Lark frowned.

Dr. McLoughlin then noticed the maze he built.

"This is amazing…" Dr. McLoughlin said, pointing down at it. "Labyrinthos." Lark nodded. He then sat down and ran his finger through the maze, showing him the entrance to the exit. "Very good! Bene!"

"Bene!" Lark cried. He jumped to his feet and hugged Dr. McLoughlin again. Dr. McLoughlin then wrapped his arms around him. He fell silent and closed his eyes.

"Bene…" Dr. McLoughlin whispered. Suddenly, a door behind him opened. "Ah, it is my time to go." He said. He pulled out of Lark's embrace. Lark looked confused. He began to walk to the door. "And it's yours too. I'm sorry, Lark." Dr. McLoughlin said. Two men in white coats entered the room as Dr. McLoughlin exited. Lark looked alarmed. Lark began to speak quickly in his foreign tongue. Lark backed into a corner, looking scared now. He picked up the ball and threw it at them, but it missed...

The two men carried Lark out in a straitjacket. Lark was screaming. Dr. McLoughlin turned away, feeling ill. He went to his office and began to write his report.

"Name—Lark. Sex—Male. Blood type—Y. Age—Unknown; appears adolescent. Height—Five-foot-six. The usual…" he said, filling out the basic form. He then got down to the 'comments' section. "Lark possesses basic motor skills, however, is extremely intelligent; was able to construct complex maze with blocks. Is able to communicate; talks in Latin-like language; does not speak full sentences. Is scared easily. Is displaying signs of Autism. Is very sweet—I mean—is capable of expressing affection…" he sighed. "Subject ready."

Lark was brought to another white room, but this time, there was a toilet and sink in a corner and a screen on the wall. The two men from before freed him from the straitjacket. On the screen was some kind of language program…

Lark was kept in that room for a year until he could no longer speak in his native tongue. On the last day of him being in this language program, the scientists brought him a small chiffon cake. Lark ate it messily, enjoying it quite a bit compared to his practically liquid diet.

Lark was brought to Watao, once again, in a straitjacket. He was silent the entire trip from Rynext to Watao. He mostly slept. When he was on the actual planet, entering the lab, he rebelled, giving everyone a lot of trouble. Then, came the tests.

The first test was one for his mental condition. The temperature in his head was cold, indicating that he was experiencing some form of depression. Lark was tired of seeing all of these new faces with no names. He wanted to see Melfina or Dr. McLoughlin, the only ones who had been kind to him.

"Where is he?" he thought. "Why didn't he want me?"

The second test was to monitor his heart rate. Lark's heart had more chambers than the average heart. He had triple heartbeats, sounding like a waltz.

"This feels weird…" Lark said quietly to the nurse who was present. She made a face.

"You may be pretty, but I'm not getting paid enough to touch a 'fake.'" She muttered.

"'Fake?' What does that mean?" Lark asked.

"You're always built to be these perfect little people… But we all know what you really are," she continued.

"I am Lark," Lark replied.

"Just shut up," she snapped. Lark frowned.

The third test was to see if he could connect to the digital world, which he couldn't. This made the scientists very worried.

Lark had a visor of some kind over his eyes, remotely connecting him to the computer of the Aurum. His arms were restrained. Every time they tried to calm his mind, Lark would scream in order to keep himself fully conscious. He knew they were trying to put him into a different state—he just didn't know why and he didn't want to let them.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Lark would keep on crying out between screams.

After weeks of trying to get him to connect to the Aurum, the scientists gave up and deemed him as defective. They contacted the scientists on Rynex and asked them if they could take him and clone him…

Soon, Lark was brought to a lab on Rynex. He had to be restrained. They first ran a machine that ran a bar of light up and down his body over and over; this scared him. Then, they took blood from him, which wasn't easy since he was trying to escape.

"What are you taking from me?!" Lark cried as he watched the blood collect in a jar.

Lark was soon put into another container full of orange fluid. He pounded on the glass until he got tired and fell asleep…

One day, there was an explosion. He watched the chaos bloom as a bunch of pirates shot at the scientists who were present. A man with a large pompadour approached the glass Lark was behind.

"Hey there! We're here to get you out of that pickle jar!" he said, smiling. "Shu! Get to work!" Heihozu cried.

Lark, unconscious, rested in Heihozu's arms as they raced back to their ship.

"He's like a doll…" Heihozu thought.

Lark soon woke up to see Heihozu's entire crew looking at him. Lark slowly sat up.

"Who… are you? All of you?" Lark asked.

"I am Captain Heihozu! And this is my crew!" Heihozu said, pointing to each one of them. "Shu, Yan, Niyuu, and Jiyuu!"

"I am Lark."

"So that's what your name is! Well, welcome aboard! Now, I know you might be tired, but we need you to get to work right away!" Heihozu said.

"'Work?' Doing what?" Lark asked, standing up.

"Well, you see, my ship needs your help. You're a navigator and regardless of my two great pilots, Niyuu and Jiyuu, we need someone like you to get us places!" Heihozu said.

"Isn't that what Galaxy Positioning Systems are for?" Lark asked.

"Wow! A sense of humor, huh? Well, I like that. I too like to tell jokes. Maybe I'll be a comedian one day! Anyway! We're being serious here! So why don't you come over here and give it a try?" Heihozu said, as a navigation tube rose from behind the captains seat. Lark's eyes widened. He shook his head.

"No, no! No more!" Lark cried. "I don't want to do this anymore!" Lark said, backing away. He began to run when suddenly, Huo snatched him and carried him over his back. Lark was kicking him and shouting. "No! No!"

"Great. You know, we saved you back there. You know they were just going to take you apart, right? And now you're doing this to us? Well, sorry, Lark, but this time, no one is going to save ya," Heihozu said, sounding a little colder than he meant to. Huo dropped Lark into the tube and sealed it from the top. Lark pounded his fists on the glass as he felt himself slowly connecting to the digital world.

"Alright, Lark! Let's start off easy! Get us over to Watao!" The ship began to move, but it was slow. Also, the screen did not display any coordinates. "Lark! Are you serious?"

"I-is he g-giving you trouble, captain?" Shu asked.

"Yeah, a bit…" Heihozu sighed.

"Alright. I c-can help," Shu said, beginning to connect himself to a machine.

"What are you planning to do?" Heihozu asked, curious. He had never seen Shu hack into the ship's digital world before.

"Don't w-worry. I'll take c-care of it," Shu said, eyes closing. Heihozu looked nervous. All that could be heard was Lark's screams through the speakers…


End file.
